1. A thermal management system (TMS) comprising:
an engine heat exchanger comprising an engine liquid system of a propulsive engine of a vehicle, said engine liquid system configured to channel a flow of lube oil therethrough that recovers waste heat conducted from engine accessories of the vehicle, wherein said engine heat exchanger facilitates transferring the waste heat from the lube oil to a pumped heat transfer fluid channeled through said engine heat exchanger;
an engine exhaust heat exchanger coupled in serial flow communication with said engine heat exchanger, said engine exhaust heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from an exhaust stream of the propulsive engine to the pumped heat transfer fluid;
a bypass valve coupled in parallel with said engine exhaust heat exchanger, said bypass valve selectable to modulate a flow of the pumped heat transfer fluid through the engine exhaust heat exchanger; and
a plurality of accessory heat exchangers for each of a plurality of heat loads of the vehicle coupled in flow communication with at least one of said engine heat exchanger and said engine exhaust heat exchanger, each said plurality of accessory heat exchangers flow controllable using a modulating valve.
2. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said engine exhaust heat exchanger is coupled in serial flow communication with said engine heat exchanger.
3. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer fluid pump coupled in flow communication with said plurality of accessory heat exchangers.
4. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said plurality of accessory heat exchangers includes at least one of a nacelle anti-ice heat exchanger, a wing anti-ice heat exchanger, a cargo bay heating heat exchanger, and a cabin air heater heat exchanger.
5. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a cabin air compressor heat removal system configured to transmit heat from a cabin air compressor to a cabin of a vehicle.
6. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a cabin air compressor heat removal system configured to transmit heat from a cabin air compressor to an environmental control system.
7. A thermal management system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a mixing valve configured to mix conditioned air from a cabin air compressor heat removal system and a cabin air heater heat exchanger to provide conditioned air to a cabin of a vehicle.
8. A method of anti-icing using a thermal management system (TMS) comprising:
positioning an engine heat exchanger including an engine liquid system in thermal communication with a heat transfer fluid;
recovering waste heat conducted from engine accessories of an engine of a vehicle, the waste heat recovered by a flow of lube oil flowing through the engine liquid system;
channeling the heat transfer fluid and the flow of lube oil through the engine heat exchanger such that the recovered waste heat is transferred from the flow of lube oil to the heat transfer fluid;
pumping the heat transfer fluid carrying the recovered waste heat from the heat exchanger to a heat load of the vehicle coupled in fluid communication with the heat exchanger; and
transferring the recovered heat from the heat transfer fluid to the heat load.
9. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein recovering waste heat comprises recovering waste heat from a lube oil cooler in the engine.
10. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein recovering waste heat comprises recovering waste heat from an engine exhaust heat exchanger positioned at least one of in an exhaust stream of the engine and proximate the exhaust stream of the engine.
11. A method in accordance with claim 10 further comprising bypassing the pumped heat transfer fluid around the engine exhaust heat exchanger using a bypass valve.
12. A method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising maintaining a substantially constant temperature of the heat transfer fluid downstream of the engine exhaust heat exchanger using the bypass valve.
13. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein pumping the heat transfer fluid comprises pumping a water and glycol solution through a closed loop heat transfer circuit.
14. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein pumping the heat transfer fluid comprises pumping the heat transfer fluid carrying the recovered waste heat to at least one of a plurality of heat loads.
15. A method in accordance with claim 8 wherein pumping the heat transfer fluid comprises pumping the heat transfer fluid carrying the recovered waste heat to at least one of a nacelle anti-ice heat exchanger, a wing anti-ice heat exchanger, a cargo bay heating heat exchanger, and a cabin air heater heat exchanger.
16. An aircraft comprising:
an engine including a nacelle, said nacelle comprising a nacelle anti-icing heat exchanger;
a wing comprising a wing anti-icing heat exchanger;
a cargo bay comprising a heat exchanger; and
a thermal management system comprising:
an engine heat exchanger comprising an engine liquid system configured to channel a flow of lube oil therethrough, the flow of lube oil coupled in thermal communication with engine accessories such that excess heat generated therefrom is recovered by the lube oil; and
a fluid pump coupled in flow communication between said engine heat exchanger and at least one of said nacelle anti-icing heat exchanger, said wing anti-icing heat exchanger; and said cargo bay heat exchanger, said fluid pump configured to pump heat transfer fluid through said engine heat exchanger such that the excess heat is transferred from the lube oil to the heat transfer fluid, wherein the heat transfer fluid carries the excess heat towards at least one of said nacelle anti-icing heat exchanger, said wing anti-icing heat exchanger; and said cargo bay heat exchanger.
17. A system in accordance with claim 16 further comprising an engine exhaust heat exchanger coupled in thermal communication with a portion of the engine exhaust and coupled in flow communication to said engine heat exchanger and at least one of said nacelle anti-icing heat exchanger, said wing anti-icing heat exchanger; and said cargo bay heat exchanger.
18. A system in accordance with claim 17 further comprising an engine exhaust heat exchanger bypass valve coupled in parallel flow with said engine exhaust heat exchanger, said bypass valve configured to be controlled to maintain a predetermined temperature of fluid downstream of said engine exhaust heat exchanger.
19. A system in accordance with claim 17 further comprising a cabin environmental control system configured to recover waste heat from a cabin air compressor motor and provide the waste heat to a cabin of the aircraft using a cabin air heater supplied with a heat transfer fluid from the thermal management system.
20. A system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said thermal management system further comprises a heat exchanger coupled in thermal communication with a source of excess heat and a second fluid pump coupled in flow communication between said heat exchanger and at least one heat load.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-10. (canceled)
11. Apparatus for carrying out a resin transfer molding process for producing an integral component, said apparatus comprising:
a closable mold provided with a mold cavity and having at least one resin outlet connected to the mold cavity through which injection resin may escape after the mold has been filled;
an injection unit coupled to the mold for introducing injection resin into the mold;
a resin flow closing unit for closing said at least one resin outlet;
a measuring unit situated at or downstream from the resin outlet for detecting a flow of escaping resin; and
at least one pressure sensor for detecting a pressure which occurs in the mold cavity during the resin transfer molding process;
wherein said measuring unit is coupled to the resin flow closing unit in such a way that the resin flow closing unit closes when an escaping resin flow is detected by the measuring unit; and
wherein after the resin flow closing unit has been closed in response to a detection of escaping resin flow by the measuring unit, the resin flow closing unit is reopened if the pressure in the mold cavity exceeds a predefined pressure.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said at least one pressure sensor is situated in said mold cavity.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mold has a plastic hose or a line which adjoins the resin outlet through which injection resin escaping from the mold flows, and the measuring unit detects the resin flow through the plastic hose or the line.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least a portion of said plastic hose or said line is transparent, and the measuring unit is constructed in the form of an optical sensor or a capacitive sensor for resin flow detection and is situated at a transparent portion of said plastic hose or said line.
15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said resin flow closing unit is a pneumatically controlled check valve for interrupting the resin flow.
16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the mold has a plurality of resin outlets corresponding to the configuration of the integral component to be produced, and a measuring unit for detecting a flow of escaping resin is associated with at least one of said plurality of resin outlets.
17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein a respective measuring unit for detecting a flow of escaping resin is associated with each of said plurality of resin outlets.
18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of pressure sensors are provided for detecting the pressure in the mold cavity.
19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the injection unit comprises a mixing head for mixing the injection resin and a hardener for the injection resin; said mixing head being supplied with the injection resin and the hardener from respective injection resin and hardener storage tanks each connected with the mixing head through a respective motorpump assembly and a respective feed line; said mixing head further comprising a heating device for heating the injection resin and the hardener, and return lines parallel to the feed lines for returning unmixed injection resin and hardener to their respective storage tanks.
20. A resin transfer molding process for producing integral components using a closable mold provided with a mold cavity and having at least one resin outlet connected to the mold cavity through which a flow of injection resin may escape after the mold has been filled, and an injection unit which can be coupled to the mold for introducing an injection resin into the mold; said at least one resin outlet being closable by a resin flow closing unit;
wherein a measuring unit which detects the escaping flow of injection resin is situated at or downstream from the resin outlet and is coupled to the resin flow closing unit, and a signal for closing the resin flow closing unit is transmitted to the resin flow closing unit via a control system when an escaping resin flow is detected by the measuring unit, and the resin flow closing unit is closed and the resin flow escaping from the mold is interrupted, and
wherein a pressure occurring in the mold cavity during the resin transfer molding process is detected by at least one pressure sensor, and after the resin flow closing unit has been closed in response to the signal from the measuring unit, the resin flow closing unit is reopened if a pressure exceeding a predefined pressure is detected in the mold cavity.
21. A process as claimed in claim 20, wherein
when a pressure exceeding a predefined pressure is detected in the mold cavity and the resin flow closing unit is reopened, the measuring unit for detecting the resin flow is deactivated, and
after the pressure drops below said predefined pressure, the resin flow closing unit once again closes.
22. A process as claimed in claim 20, wherein:
the injection unit comprises a mixing head for mixing conveyed volumes of the injection resin and of a hardener for the injection resin; and
the conveyed volume of the injection resin and of the hardener is reduced when the predefined pressure in the mold cavity is exceeded.
23. A process as claimed in claim 21, wherein
in a manualautomatic mode, the first closing of the resin flow closing unit is triggered as a result of a sensor of the measuring unit detecting injection resin escaping through the at least one resin outlet; and at the start of a flushing operation in the further injection process, the opening and closing process of the resin flow closing unit is detected and stored by the control system as a chronological sequence of the onoff state of all connected resin flow closing units until the end of the injection process, and the control system emits auditory andor visual warnings if pressure parameters above the predefined pressure are detected; or
in a partially dynamic process, the routine which is detected and recorded in a manual process is carried out as a temporally detected process of the opening and closing of the pneumatically controlled check valves in the form of the resin flow closing unit; or
in an automatic mode the routine of the partially dynamic process is available as a file, and is read by software upon start-up of the automatic mode, and is started and executed at an appropriate time in the injection process.
24. A process as claimed in claim 23, wherein said process is carried out in the automatic mode while also taking into account the detected pressure in the mold cavity as introduction of injection resin into the mold cavity proceeds over time, and the control system opens the resin flow closing unit when the detected pressure exceeds the predetermined pressure until the detected pressure drops below said predetermined pressure.