Optimized defrosting regulation of parallel arranged fresh air outlets of air conditioners

Abstract

An arrangement is provided for de-icing pipeline connections of an aircraft, which are connected to all fresh air outlets of an air conditioner, whose construction includes, but is not limited to the functions of multiple turbines and heat exchangers, having a first pipeline, which is connected to a first turbine, and a second pipeline, which is connected to a second turbine, the two pipelines, which are each connected downstream from the two turbines and to which process air is fed at the turbine outlets, being connected at the pipe ends and being continued using a third pipeline. The arrangement is characterized in that a first hot air source is fed hot fresh air from a bleed air system of the aircraft and is connected at its outlet to a fourth pipeline, into which temperature-reduced fresh air is fed from the hot air source. The fourth pipeline is connected at its pipe end to two further valve-regulated pipelines, of which a fifth or a sixth pipeline is connected to the first or the second pipeline, and through which temperature-reduced fresh air is transported and fed valve-regulated to the first and/or second pipeline.

1 . An arrangement for deicing pipeline connections of an aircraft, the arrangement comprising:
 fresh air outlets;   a first turbine;   a second turbine   a first pipeline connected to the first turbine;   a second pipeline connected to the second turbine,   wherein the first pipeline and the second pipeline that are each downstream from the first turbine and the second turbine and to which process air is fed at outlets, are connected at pipe ends to and continued by a third pipeline,   wherein a first hot air source is connected at an outlet to a fourth pipeline, to which temperature-reduced fresh air is fed from a hot air source, and the fourth pipeline comprises two further valve-regulated pipelines connected at an pipe end, of which at least one of a fifth pipeline or a sixth pipeline is connected in each case to at least one of the first pipeline or the second pipeline, through which the temperature-reduced fresh air is transported and fed valve-regulated to at least one of the first pipeline or the second pipeline.   
     
     
         2 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the hot air source comprises:
 a heat exchanger;   a hot fresh air from a bleed air system of the aircraft is provided to the heat exchanger;   wherein the heat exchanger is adapted to provide the temperature-reduced fresh air to the fourth pipeline.   
     
     
         3 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the hot air source comprises an air conditioner and the air conditioner is adapted to provide the temperature-reduced fresh air. 
     
     
         4 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the hot air source comprises an external heat source and the external heat source is adapted to provide the temperature-reduced fresh air. 
     
     
         5 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the first pipeline and the second pipeline comprise electrical heating elements. 
     
     
         6 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the first pipeline and the second pipeline are connected at pipe ends to a first pipeline branch and the latter is continued by the third pipeline. 
     
     
         7 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the fourth pipeline is connected at a second pipe end to a second pipeline branch, and the latter is connected to the fifth pipeline and the sixth pipeline. 
     
     
         8 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein the fifth pipeline is connected to a third pipeline branch, which is interconnected to the first pipeline, and the sixth pipeline is connected to a fourth pipeline branch, which is interconnected to the second pipeline. 
     
     
         9 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein an air flow regulating valve that is adapted to regulate an air mass flow of the temperature-reduced fresh air and integrated respectively in the fifth pipeline and the sixth pipeline. 
     
     
         10 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of a first air flow regulating valve or a second air flow regulating valve is equipped with a time delay element, so that the first air flow regulating valve and the second air flow regulating valve is adapted for achieving a time-delayed regulation of a flow rate of the temperature-reduced fresh air. 
     
     
         11 . The arrangement of  claim 1 , wherein a check valve is integrated in the third pipeline. 
     
     
         12 . A method for regulating a process air temperature of transported process air in pipeline connections of an aircraft, in which the pipeline connections guiding the process air are connected to a fresh air outlet, an air conditioner, a turbine, or a heat exchanger, wherein the process air being provided at the outlet of a first turbine and a second turbine to the pipeline connections and the process air subsequently being fed under pressure respectively to a first pipeline and a second pipeline connected downstream from the first turbine and the second turbine, a first steps comprises the steps of:
 a) firstly a hot air source is fed hot fresh air from a bleed air system of an aircraft, temperature-reduced pressurized fresh air is provided at the outlet of a first hot air source, which is fed to a fourth pipeline connected at the outlet of the first hot air source and is transported through the pipeline,   b) introducing a temperature-reduced fresh air into a fifth pipeline and a sixth pipeline connected at a pipe end of the fourth pipeline;   c) continuing support through these two pipelines with a fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air branched off respectively from the fifth pipeline and the sixth pipeline;   d) leaving the fifth pipeline and the sixth pipeline valve-regulated and alternately fed into at least one of the first pipeline or the second pipeline in addition to the process air, and   e) occurring an air transport with mixed process air through a remaining pipeline section, which follows a feed point according to step d) and remains in the first pipeline and the second pipeline;   f) feeding into a third pipeline continued at the pipe end of the first pipeline and the second pipeline and supplied to downstream units of the aircraft connected to the third pipeline.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the mixed process air according to step e) is composed of the process air provided at the turbine outlet and a branched-off fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the process air is temperature-controlled variably by an alternate feeding of valve-regulated pressure components of the temperature-reduced fresh air according to step d). 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a transport of a particular fresh air component, which is fed to the fifth and the sixth pipeline, is controlled using an air flow regulating valve, that are integrated in each of the fifth pipeline and the sixth pipeline. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the transport of the particular fresh air component through the fifth pipeline or the sixth pipeline occurs with a time delay and is realized using a time-delay element integrated in a respective air flow regulating valve. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein a second fresh air component which flows through the sixth pipeline is transported with a second time delay in comparison to a first fresh air component, which flows through the fifth pipeline and is viewed as a reference fresh air component. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the first and the second turbine initially provide the process air at the turbine outlet, that has a process air temperature operates in a first-time range A-B in a part-load range from approximately 0° C. to approximately −8° C., and in the same way, during an operating time of the air conditioner, the temperature-reduced fresh air is provided at the outlet of the first hot air source according to step a), whose fresh air temperature operates in a load range from approximately 30° C. to approximately 100° C., and
 g) increasing the process air temperature of a first turbine to at least approximately 30° C. to approximately 45° C. by a valve-regulated supply of the fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air according to step d), by which all process air lines connected downstream from the turbine and valve integrated in the process air lines are de-iced, and simultaneously moving the process air temperature of the second turbine to cooling capacity, by which further ice accumulations with the process airlines are prevented, these process air temperatures of the first turbine and the second turbine being kept at a constant temperature value within a second time range B-C, and   h) bringing the process air temperature of the first turbine and the second turbine to a normal process air temperature by the valve-regulated supply of the fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air according to step d), this process air temperature corresponding to that according to step f), this process air temperature of the first turbine and the second turbine being kept at a constant temperature value within a third time range C-D; and   i) moving the process air temperature of the first turbine to maximum cooling capacity and substantially simultaneously increasing the process air temperature of the second turbine is increased to approximately 30° C. to approximately 45° C. by the valve-regulated supply of the fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air according to step d), by which ice accumulations with the second pipeline connected downstream from the second turbine and pipelines connected to the second pipeline as well as valves integrated in the pipelines are prevented, this process air temperature of the first turbine and the second turbine being kept at a constant temperature value within a fourth time range D-E; and   j) repeating step h) with a restriction that the process air temperature of the first turbine and the second turbine is kept at a constant temperature value step-by-step within a fifth time range E-A.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein according to step g), valve-regulated throttling of a particular fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air is performed using a second air flow regulating valve, which is integrated in the sixth pipeline and operates with a time delay, in such a way that the process air temperature of the second turbine is reduced with a predefined time delay until the maximum cooling capacity is reached, if the process air temperature of the process air of a first turbine is increased using the fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air passing the fifth pipeline, which is valve-regulated by a first air flow regulating valve integrated in the fifth pipeline. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein according to step i), a valve-regulated throttling of a particular fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air is performed using a first air flow regulating valve, which is integrated in the fifth pipeline and operates with a time delay, in such a way that the process air temperature of a first turbine is reduced with a predefined time delay, until the maximum cooling capacity is reached, if the process air temperature of the process air of the second turbine is increased using the fresh air component of the temperature-reduced fresh air passing the sixth pipeline, which is valve-regulated by a second air flow regulating valve integrated in the sixth pipeline. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein step f) to step j) are primarily performed during a time the aircraft remains on a ground and are repeated arbitrarily in a specified sequence. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein a performance of step f) through j) is related to a time period which relates to an interval of a takeoff and a landing phase of the aircraft or during a flight and very low altitudes below approximately 15,000 feet.