NITTE MEENAKSHI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(AN AUTONOMOUS INSTITUTION, AFFILIATED TO VTU, BELGAUM,)

2016-2017

DEPARTMENT OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

AN ASSIGNMENT REPORT ON

Aircraft liquid cooling

BY

RAMSAGAR MAHATO (1NT14AE065)

Under the Guidance of

Mr. SRIKANTH

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of VII Semester HEAT AND MASS
TRANSFER Course work during the academic year 2017-2018

Department of Aeronautical Engineering

Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology
Bangalore, Yelahanka 560064

Name & Signature of the Guide Name & Signature of HOD

AIRCRAFT LIQUID COOLING

Abstract
Heat exchangers have a vital role in thermal science and engineering
because of their wide use in the landscape of technology, from
geothermal and fossil power generation to refrigeration, desalination,
and air conditioning. In the aviation engineering, they have a
fundamental role especially in reducing the temperatures of the fuel and
thus increasing the efficiency of the aircraft engines. Then while selecting
the heat exchanger, it requires a particular attention in the selection of
components, for example in the engine zone, not only to reduce the
weight but also to improve the whole heat transfer efficiency. With this
aim, engineers focus their attention on new materials, for example
porous materials, that recently have attracted researchers. The design
process may be considered the heart of engineering. In this chapter, We
will be discussing one of the method of cooling of aircraft components
i.e Aircraft Liquid Cooling and different aspect of this technique.
Aircraft Liquid Cooling

Figure 1: Liquid-cooled chassis for electronics cooling

Aircraft engineers today are charged with creating a More Electric
Aircraft (MEA) with greater processing capabilities, while also minimizing
the aircraft's weight and power consumption. With MEA, hydraulic and
pneumatic systems are being replaced with electric systems. Combined
with the addition of more high-end embedded computing systems, the
need for liquid cooling on jets, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles,
and other types of military and commercial aircraft is increasing. By
moving from air cooling to liquid cooling, engineers can eliminate
thermal restrictions that might otherwise force them to compromise on
system performance. Engineers can also reduce weight and power
consumption and increase meantime between equipment failures by
lowering operating temperatures. Liquid-cooled chassis and cold plates
provide very effective cooling for high-power modules and high-power
density components, while heat exchangers provide cooling of engine or
hydraulic fluids or dispose of the heat absorbed by the chassis or cold
plates.
Liquid-Cooled Chassis
Liquid-cooled chassis, also known as Liquid Flow-Through (LFT)
electronics chassis, are board level heat-absorbing technologies. (See
Figure 1.) The chassis consist of aluminum cold plates that have
corrugated aluminum fin vacuum-brazed into the sidewalls. The heat is
moved via conduction from the board to the sidewalls to the fluid. The
internal fin creates additional surface area for heat transfer and creates
turbulence in the fluid to optimize performance.

Figure 2: Comparison of the densities and

thermal conductivities of aluminum and copper
Although copper has better thermal conductivity, aluminum is usually
preferred in aircraft liquid cooling applications due to its lighter weight.
Aluminum has approximately 50% of the thermal conductivity of copper,
but only about 30% of the density. (See Figure 2.) By using aluminum,
you can obtain the best performance-to-weight ratio.
With aircraft liquid cooling, ruggedization of liquid cooling components
and systems is also essential. Liquid-cooled chassis are designed to be
able to handle the shock, vibration, and acceleration requirements of
MIL-STD-810F, RTCA/DO-160D or other military standards/specifications
that are imposed. Vacuum-brazing ensures that chassis will be leak free
and have the structural integrity to withstand the environmental
extremes, including temperatures of -40C to 120C.
Most liquid-cooled chassis will use an ethylene glycol and water solution
(EGW), oil, polyalphaolefin (PAO), or other dielectric fluids such as
Fluorinert as the coolant. Ethylene glycol can provide freeze protection
as well as corrosion protection that water alone cannot, while dielectric
fluids can help protect sensitive electronics in the case of exposure to the
coolant. The use of PAO as a cooling medium is popular for aerospace
and military applications due to its dielectric properties and wide
operating temperature range.
The VMEbus International Trade Association (VITA) Standards
Organization is developing standard VITA 48.3 Ruggedized Enhanced
Design Implementation (REDI), the first open standard for liquid-cooled
commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) chassis. These standards will specify
heights of secondary-side components, distances between cards,
allowances for module covers or cold plates on each side, and more.
Liquid-cooled chassis provide an upgrade path from conduction cooling
to liquid cooling with minimal disruptions to the platform and without
the need to replace the chassis at each technology refresh.

Cold Plates

Figure 3: Vacuum-brazed cold plates for aircraft

Cold plates are the foundation of liquid-cooled chassis and are utilized
for cooling phased array radars, electronic countermeasures pods,
environmental control units, and more. Cold plate technologies include
tubed,flat tube and performance-fin. Vacuum-brazed performance-fin is
the cold plate technology most often found on aircraft. (See Figure 3.)
Performance-fin cold plates consist of two plates metallurgically bonded
together with internal fin, the most common of which are vacuum-
brazed.
With aluminum vacuum-brazed cold plates there is a great deal of
flexibility in the design, making them ideal for cooling embedded systems
within the aircraft. Cold plates can provide contact cooling for numerous
high heat load components of different shapes and heights within very
tight spaces. They can be manufactured ultra thin and can be machined,
drilled, and/or tapped and still be flight worthy. There is a variety of
internal fin that can be used to precisely match the cold plate's fluid path
to the thermal requirements of the application. Cold plates and liquid-
cooled chassis are designed with bosses for mounting, and dual-sided
mounting is an option for cold plates. The cold plate fluid is usually
cooled via a heat exchanger.

Heat Exchangers

Figure 4: Liquid-to-Liquid Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger

Plate-fin heat exchangers and flat tube heat exchangers are two types of
heat exchangers commonly found on aircraft. Heat exchangers are used
to cool auxiliary power units, hydraulics, gearboxes, and more. They are
engineered for high performance with poor heat transfer fluids such as
oils and ethylene glycol solutions. Aluminum plate-fin heat exchangers
consist of finned passages separated by flat plates and have a unique
internal configuration to maximize heat transfer. (See Figures 4 & 5.)
They offer the best performance-to-weight ratio and can be used for air-
to-air, air-to-liquid, or liquid-to-liquid cooling. Aluminum flat tube heat
exchangers consist of a number of flat tubes with multiple extended
surface channels within each tube. Fins are vacuum-brazed between the
flat tubes and form the passages for the second fluid. These flat tubes
provide a lower cost alternative to plate-fin designs. Both types of heat
exchangers are vacuum-brazed for ruggedization.

Figure5:Plate-fin oil cooler heat exchanger used on a helicopter

application
Heat exchangers are often used for cooling hydraulic oil, engine oil, and
EGW with RAM air via a RAM air intake system or with a fan. RAM air
may also be replaced with an ethylene glycol solution or PAO as the heat
sink. For example, PAO is sometimes used in intercooler applications to
cool gaseous nitrogen (GN2) for inerting fuel tanks to reduce fire hazards.
One way that engineers can save space and minimize weight is to route
fluids currently in use on the aircraft through the liquid cooling loop. For
example, fuel may be used as the heat sink to cool oil since fuel is a
readily available fluid, eliminating the need to have an additional fluid on
board. Another way to save space is to create a heat exchanger with
multiple cooling circuits to cool several fluids at once. For example, a 4-
circuit heat exchanger may be used to simultaneously cool air, oil, and
EGW via RAM air or a fan.

Figure6:Comparison of air densities at various altitudes

Although temperature is always a consideration with liquid cooling,
when heat exchangers are used at high altitudes there are the additional
considerations of air density and pressure. The heat exchanger's
fan must be carefully selected to ensure that it will provide sufficient
airflow based on the ambient air pressure. At high altitudes, the density
of air is significantly lower. (See Figure 6.) It takes more airflow to remove
the same amount of heat since the same volume of air has fewer air
molecules for heat absorption. For example, at sea level and standard
ambient temperature and pressure (70F and 14.696 psia), the density
of dry air is 0.075 lb/ft3 or 1.19 kg/m3. At an altitude of 25,000 feet, the
density is only 0.549 kg/m3 - less than half the density of air at sea level.
In order to achieve more mass airflow at higher altitudes, a higher
volumetric airflow is needed and a larger fan may be required. (See
ComairRotron's application note, "Solving High Altitude Cooling
Problems".) It's also important to note that the addition of water vapor
reduces the density of air, as does higher temperatures. However, the
impact of humidity on density is less than the impact of high altitudes. In
addition, at high altitudes the air is generally significantly colder than at
sea level. Assuming that RAM air is being used, the cold air will provide
for better heat transfer, helping to offset the affects of operating with
lower air density.
Liquid cooling can provide significantly better performance than air
cooling alone, may be quieter than air cooling, and can be insensitive to
altitude. By moving from air cooling to liquid cooling, engineers can
optimize system performance. They can also reduce weight and power
consumption by eliminating the need for large fans or the need for wide
spacing of components. Liquid-cooled chassis, cold plates, and heat
exchangers provide total thermal solutions for cooling aircraft fluids and
electronics.
Conclusion
The aim of this project assignment is to understand the
basic concept of heat exchangers which are used in aircraft
industry. One of the technique has been illustrated in above
section. The basis design of liquid cooling chassis and criteria for
selecting of materials for chassis is discussed. The different types
of liquid heat exchagers are suggested and comparison of air
densities at various altitudes are done.