Cooling scheme for scramjet variable geometry hardware

Abstract

A cooling system for use in an engine having an element to be cooled includes at least one cooling channel on a first side of the element, at least one cooling channel on a second side of the element, and the at least one cooling channel on the first side communicating with the at least one channel on the second side in a nose region of the element so as to form a cooling circuit. The cooling system has particular utility in cooling interior and exterior surfaces of a movable cowl inlet flap used in a scramjet engine.

1 . A cooling system for use in an engine having an element to be cooled comprising: 
 at least one cooling channel on a first side of said element;    at least one cooling channel on a second side of said element; and    means in a nose region of said element for allowing said at least one cooling channel on said first side to communicate with said at least one channel on said second side so as to form a cooling circuit.    
   
   
       2 . A cooling system according to  claim 1 , wherein said allowing means comprises a plurality of coolant transfer holes in said nose region.  
   
   
       3 . A cooling system according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for supplying a coolant to said at least one cooling channel on said first side of said element and means for collecting said coolant from said at least one cooling channel on said second side of said element.  
   
   
       4 . A cooling system according to  claim 3 , further comprising a torque tube located at a rear portion of said element, said supplying means comprising a first manifold within said torque tube, and said collecting means comprising a second manifold within said torque tube.  
   
   
       5 . A cooling system according to  claim 4 , wherein said first manifold is separated from said second manifold by a partition wall.  
   
   
       6 . A cooling system according to  claim 5 , wherein said partition wall is triangularly shaped.  
   
   
       7 . A cooling system according to  claim 5 , wherein said supplying means further comprises an inlet fitting communicating with said first manifold and said inlet fitting being positioned within a first blind hole in said partition wall.  
   
   
       8 . A cooling system according to  claim 7 , wherein said supplying means further comprises a fluid channel in said partition wall and a plurality of distribution holes for allowing fluid from said fluid channel to flow into said first manifold, and said inlet fitting communicating with said fluid channel.  
   
   
       9 . A cooling system according to  claim 8 , wherein said distribution holes are sized, spaced, and aligned to provide substantially uniform coolant distribution within said first manifold.  
   
   
       10 . A cooling system according to  claim 5 , wherein said collecting means further comprises an exit fitting communicating with said second manifold and said exit fitting being positioned within a second blind hole in said partition wall.  
   
   
       11 . A cooling system according to  claim 5 , further comprising end caps for closing opposed ends of said first and second manifolds.  
   
   
       12 . A cooling system according to  claim 11 , wherein said torque tube has opposed outer ends and each said end cap is positioned inboard one of said ends of said torque tube.  
   
   
       13 . A cooling system according to  claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of cooling channels on both said first and second sides, and each of said manifolds having a plurality of distribution holes communicating with said channels for establishing a fluid connection with outermost ones of said cooling channels on said first and second sides.  
   
   
       14 - 33 . (canceled)