ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM INTEGRATED INTO A FIGHTER AIRCRAFT POD

摘要

An Environmental Control System (ECS) concept is developed to control the temperature of an Electronic System (ES) and to cool the airborne system Electronic Units (EUs). These units are integrated into a Pod that is attached to the centerline station of a fighter aircraft. The objective of this paper is to describe the thermal control system concept used to control the ES bay air temperature, humidity, and pressure; and the cooling system used to cool the EUs. Another objective of this paper is to provide a summary of the thermal-fluid analytical models and the ECS performance predictions. The main components of the ECS are based on vapor cycle cooling. The EUs that support system management and recording are air-cooled. Ground operations are accomplished through the autonomous ECS thermal control of the ES and fan cooling of the EUs. Thermal analyses at aircraft operational altitudes and speeds predict that the ES temperature is controlled within ±5℃ of its temperature at take-off by the ECS. ES bay temperatures are held between preset lower and upper bound ES temperatures during the required MIL-STD-210A tropical day without condensation of moisture in the ES bay. In addition, thermal analyses indicate that the EUs are cooled throughout ground and airborne operation to ensure that electronic components are below their manufacturers' rated temperature requirements.