Emergency supply unit with a ram-air turbine adapted to be driven by an air stream and with an energy converter for aircraft
View Patent ↗An emergency supply unit is provided with a ram-air turbine surrounded substantially concentrically by a casing forming a flow channel and driven by an air stream; an energy converter, driven by means of the ram-air turbine directly coupled via a drive shaft, for at least partly maintaining the functioning of a hydraulic system and/or electrical system on board an aircraft in an emergency situation; means for installing the ram-air turbine in its position within the casing such that the spatial position of the ram-air turbine remains unchanged when the emergency supply unit is selectively brought into a standby mode or into an operating mode; at least one air inlet through which the air stream can be delivered to the ram-air turbine, and which is adapted to be closed by a shut-off member; and an air outlet adapted to be closed by a shut-off member.
1. An aircraft emergency supply unit comprising:
a ram-air turbine driven by an air stream and surrounded substantially concentrically by a casing forming a flow channel, the ram-air turbine positioned within the casing such that the spatial position of the ram-air turbine remains unchanged when the aircraft emergency supply unit is selectively brought into a standby mode or into an operating mode,
an energy converter for at least partly maintaining the functioning of at least one of a hydraulic system and an electrical system on board an aircraft in an emergency situation, wherein the energy converter is driven by the ram-air turbine in the operating mode and is directly coupled to the ram-air turbine via a drive shaft,
at least one air inlet through which the air stream is delivered to the ram-air turbine in the operating mode,
at least one shut-off member for closing the air inlet, which in the standby mode of the aircraft emergency supply unit his into the outer contour of the aircraft to optimise the aerodynamics,
an air outlet,
at least one shut-off member for closing the air outlet, which in the standby mode of the aircraft emergency supply unit fits into the outer contour of the aircraft to optimise the aerodynamics,
a first inlet channel, and
a second inlet channel, the first and the second inlet channel opening into the flow channel and having a smaller cross section than the flow channel.
2. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the energy converter includes at least one of a hydraulic pump and an electric generator.
3. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the energy converter is an integral component part of the ram-air turbine.
4. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second inlet channels are disposed in a Y-shaped manner.
5. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the air stream in the flow channel is controlled by means of the shut-off members.
6. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the shut-off members for the air inlet and the air outlet are remote control operated.
7. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft emergency supply unit is fixedly integratable inside a landing flap rail covering below an aircraft wing.
8. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft emergency supply unit is fixedly integratable inside an aircraft fuselage in the region of a wing box.
9. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 1 , wherein the aircraft emergency supply unit is fixedly integratable in the region of a nose of an aircraft fuselage.
10. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 6 , wherein the shut-off members for the air inlet and the air outlet are remote control operated electrically.
11. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 6 , wherein the shut-off members for the air inlet and the air outlet are remote control operated mechanically.
12. The aircraft emergency supply unit according to claim 6 , wherein the shut-off members for the air inlet and the air outlet are remote control operated hydraulically.