Thermal Management System for an Aircraft Including an Electric Propulsion Engine

Abstract

An aircraft includes an aircraft heat source; a propulsion system including an electric propulsion engine, the electric propulsion engine including an electric motor and a fan rotatable by the electric motor, the electric propulsion engine further defining a fan air flowpath; a thermal management system including a heat source exchanger in thermal communication with the aircraft heat source, a heat sink exchanger in thermal communication with the fan air flowpath of the electric propulsion engine, and a thermal distribution bus extending from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger; and a control system operably connected to the thermal management system for selectively thermally coupling the heat sink exchanger with the heat source exchanger.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An aircraft comprising:
 an aircraft heat source;   a propulsion system comprising an electric propulsion engine, the electric propulsion engine comprising an electric motor and a fan rotatable by the electric motor, the electric propulsion engine further defining a fan air flowpath;   a thermal management system comprising a heat source exchanger in thermal communication with the aircraft heat source, a heat sink exchanger in thermal communication with the fan air flowpath of the electric propulsion engine, and a thermal distribution bus extending from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger; and   a control system operably connected to the thermal management system for selectively thermally coupling the heat sink exchanger with the heat source exchanger.   
     
     
         2 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the aircraft heat source is an avionics system heat source, a cockpit heat source, an aircraft environmental control system heat source, a combustion engine heat source, a non-biological heat source, or a hydraulic load heat source. 
     
     
         3 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pair of wings, wherein heat source exchanger is aligned with the pair of wings along a longitudinal direction of the aircraft or positioned forward of the pair of wings along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft, and wherein the heat sink exchanger is positioned aft of the pair of wings along the longitudinal direction of the aircraft.   
     
     
         4 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the electric propulsion engine is a boundary layer ingestion fan. 
     
     
         5 . The aircraft of  claim 4 , wherein the aircraft includes a fuselage defining an aft end, and wherein the boundary layer ingestion fan is coupled to the fuselage at the aft end. 
     
     
         6 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the electric propulsion engine comprises an outer nacelle, and wherein the fan air flowpath is a ducted air flowpath defined in part by the outer nacelle. 
     
     
         7 . The aircraft of  claim 6 , wherein the electric propulsion engine comprises a stage of guide vanes, and wherein the heat sink exchanger is coupled to, or integrated with, the stage of guide vanes, the outer nacelle, or both. 
     
     
         8 . The aircraft of  claim 7 , wherein the stage of guide vanes is a stage of inlet guide vanes. 
     
     
         9 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal management system comprises a flow regulation device operable with the thermal distribution bus for varying a flow of thermal fluid through the thermal distribution bus, and wherein the control system is operably coupled to the flow regulation device. 
     
     
         10 . The aircraft of  claim 9 , wherein the flow regulation device is a variable throughput valve positioned in flow communication with the thermal distribution bus, a thermal fluid pump positioned in flow communication with the thermal distribution bus, or both. 
     
     
         11 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal management system is an aircraft thermal management system, wherein the heat source exchanger is an aircraft heat source exchanger, wherein the electric propulsion engine further comprises an engine thermal management system, wherein the engine thermal management system comprises an engine heat source exchanger, and wherein the engine heat source exchanger is in thermal communication with the heat sink exchanger of the aircraft thermal management system. 
     
     
         12 . The aircraft of  claim 1 , wherein the thermal management system is an aircraft thermal management system, wherein the heat source exchanger is an aircraft heat source exchanger, wherein the heat sink exchanger is an aircraft heat sink exchanger, wherein the electric propulsion engine further comprises an engine thermal management system, wherein the engine thermal management system comprises an engine heat source exchanger and an engine heat sink exchanger, and wherein the engine heat sink exchanger is also in thermal communication with the fan air flowpath. 
     
     
         13 . The aircraft of  claim 12 , wherein the aircraft heat sink exchanger and engine heat sink exchanger are arranged in series within the fan air flowpath, in parallel within the fan air flowpath, or both. 
     
     
         14 . A method for operating an aircraft comprising:
 receiving data indicative of an operating condition of an electric propulsion engine of a propulsion system of the aircraft;   receiving data indicative of a desired amount of heat exchange from a heat source exchanger in thermal communication with an aircraft heat source to a heat sink exchanger in thermal communication with a fan air flowpath of the electric propulsion engine; and   controlling an actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger, an operating parameter of the electric propulsion engine, or both based on the received data indicative of the operating condition of the electric propulsion engine and the received data indicative of the desired amount of heat exchange.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the operating condition of the electric propulsion engine is a speed of a fan of the electric propulsion engine. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein controlling an actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger, an operating parameter of the electric propulsion engine, or both comprises reducing a speed of a fan of the electric propulsion engine. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein reducing the speed of the fan of the electric propulsion engine comprises reducing the speed of the fan during flight operations of the aircraft to less than twenty (20) percent of the maximum rated speed. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein controlling an actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger, an operating parameter of the electric propulsion engine, or both comprises metering an airflow through the fan air flowpath to facilitate the provision of the desired amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein controlling an actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger, an operating parameter of the electric propulsion engine, or both comprises controlling the actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein controlling the actual amount of heat exchange from the heat source exchanger to the heat sink exchanger comprises controlling a flow regulation device in flow communication with a thermal bus extending between the heat source exchanger and the heat sink exchanger.