摘要 |
A cooling system for a hybrid aircraft includes an inlet which extends through the body to communicate airflow to a powerplant subsystem and out through an exhaust within a rotor duct. In a hover mode, there is a significant low-pressure area created inside the rotor duct by the rotor system. The low-pressure area within the rotor duct assists in drawing air through the inlet and over the engine via the exhaust. A cooling fan is located adjacent the inlet to augment cooling-air flow. The cooling fan is smaller than conventional practice because it does not have to provide the entire pressure difference to force air-cooling flow over the engine. In a transition mode, the low-pressure area created inside the rotor duct decreases but ram air pressure through the inlet increases. In a forward flight mode, the pressure inside the rotor duct is approximately atmospheric but significant ram air is provided from the inlet due to forward flight speed.
|