Air conditioning systems for aeronautical applications: a review

Abstract

This paper presents a review of the various aeronautical air conditioning systems that are currently available and discusses possible system configurations in the context of the aeronautical environmental control systems. Descriptions of the standard vapor compression cycle and air cycles are provided. The latter includes, simple-cycle, bootstrap-cycle, simple-bootstrap cycle (3-wheel) and condensing cycle (4-wheel). Water separation and air recirculation systems are also explored. A comparison between vapor compression cycles and air cycles is provided, as well as a comparison between different air cycles. Air cycle units are far less efficient than vapor compression cycle units, but they are lighter and more reliable for an equivalent cooling capacity. Details regarding the aircraft conceptual design phase along with general criteria for the selection of an air conditioning system are provided. Additionally, industry trends and technological advances are examined. Conclusions are compiled to guide the systems engineer in the search for the most appropriate design for a particular application.

Integrated Power and Thermal Management Systems for Civil Aircraft: Review, Challenges, and Future Opportunities

“…Compared with air cooling and liquid cooling, the coolants of VCS cooling are two-phase. Because of the phase-change coolants, VCS cooling has better efficiency but is heavier and less commercially matured [36,37]. Active air cooling is usually the lightest, because it is open-loop and does not require heat exchangers, coolant pumps, and tanks.…”

“…This is why HEA usually use ram air as the terminal heat sink instead of fuel. The heat sink of air is low-cost, simple, and effective [33,35], but it induces drag [36,38].…”

Aircraft thermal management: Practices, technology, system architectures, future challenges, and opportunities

“…Such research is broad and somewhat beyond the scope of this paper, but, because of their importance and relevance, they deserve a dedicated, albeit short, section as an active topic of research in aircraft thermal management systems. A detailed review of ECS systems is provided by Merzvinskas et al [227].…”

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