US 11,807,381 B2
Aircraft hybrid propulsion system including cold plate for a high density power converter
Krishnamoorthi Sivalingam, Seletar (SG); Chandana J. Gajanayake, Seletar (SG); Jeyaraman Kumaravel, Jurong (SG); Palanisamy Mohan Kumar, Jurong (SG); Govind Pandey, Jurong (SG); Yunzhe Zhai, Jurong (SG); and Divya Bharathi Perumal, Jurong (SG)
Assigned to Rolls-Royce Corporation, Indianapolis, IN (US)
Filed by Krishnamoorthi Sivalingam, Seletar (SG); Chandana J. Gajanayake, Seletar (SG); Jeyaraman Kumaravel, Jurong (SG); Palanisamy Mohan Kumar, Jurong (SG); Govind Pandey, Jurong (SG); Yunzhe Zhai, Jurong (SG); and Divya Bharathi Perumal, Jurong (SG)
Filed on Mar. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/203,324.
Prior Publication US 2022/0297848 A1, Sep. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. B64D 33/08 (2006.01); B64D 27/02 (2006.01); B64D 27/24 (2006.01); B64D 27/10 (2006.01)
CPC B64D 33/08 (2013.01) [B64D 27/02 (2013.01); B64D 27/10 (2013.01); B64D 27/24 (2013.01); B64D 2027/026 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A hybrid propulsion system for use with an aircraft,
the hybrid propulsion system comprising:
a gas turbine engine including a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine,
an electric power system including a generator coupled to the gas turbine engine to generate electrical energy, a converter connected to the generator to receive the electrical energy from the generator, and a motor configured to produce rotational energy in response to receiving electric energy from the converter,
at least one propulsor configured to use energy received from the electric power system to generate thrust for propelling the aircraft, and
a thermal management system configured to cool a heat load produced by the converter of the electric power system, the thermal management system including a cold plate in thermal communication with the converter and a pump configured to move a flow of cooling fluid through the cold plate to transfer heat from the converter to the cooling fluid,
wherein the cold plate includes an inlet configured to receive the flow of cooling fluid from the pump, an outlet adjacent to the inlet and configured to discharge the flow of cooling fluid, and a cooling passageway extending between and interconnecting the inlet and the outlet, the cooling passageway shaped to define at least one array of parallel flow channels that are configured to provide the thermal heat transfer from the converter to the cooling fluid while managing a pressure drop across the cooling passageway,
wherein the cooling passageway includes a first section in fluid communication with the inlet to receive the flow of cooling fluid, a second section in fluid communication with the first section and the outlet to discharge the flow of cooling fluid, and a third section in fluid communication with the first section, the second section, and the outlet to discharge the flow of cooling fluid, the first, second, and third sections each extend between opposite side surfaces and are parallel to each other, and
wherein the first section includes a first array of parallel flow channels, the second section includes a second array of parallel flow channels, and the third section including a ladder type configuration of flow channels.