Service Application Manual

SAM Chapter 630-93

Section 23

AIRCRAFT AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS

By: Gordon B. Chambers, CMS, Senior Mechanical Systems Engineer, Director, RSES, Region 15

Aircraft, like other types of transportation, require systems for ventilating, heating, cooling, controlling moisture, and filtering
the air surrounding the crew and passengers. This is to provide oxygen for survival, for cabin pressurization, and for
comfort.

Depending upon the size and type of aircraft, the systems to satisfy these conditions are approached from different
views. Aircraft for one or two people, because of space and weight limitations, have very simple systems. In aircraft that
accommodate two to three hundred passengers, the need is entirely different.

The time spent on ground loading, taxiing, awaiting takeoff space, etc., requires ventilation, heating, cooling, and moisture
control. Under this condition, the engines may be off or operating at reduced power. (Power relates to the engine rpm, jet
engine compressor operations, etc.). After the aircraft is airborne, other requirements enter the picture. Beside the need for
ventilation, heating and cooling, the cabin must be pressurized to maintain proper oxygen absorption by the human body.
The oxygen pressure must be kept above minimum levels for survival.

SMALL AIRCRAFT

The simplest method of maintaining ventilation and temperature conditions in the aircraft cabin is manual operation of doors
or dampers similar to those found in automobiles.

VENTILATION

Ventilation is generally accomplished by opening a door, window, or other opening to the outside. On aircraft, (see Figure
1) this is usually done by opening ventilating doors located on the skin or side of the aircraft. This allows ram air to enter
the cabin by way of ducting from the ventilation door to diffusers located inside the cabin. The amount of ventilation air
is controlled manually by the pilot or other person who positions the door using push/pull controls as needed to suit the
requirements. This, of course, does not provide pressurization of the cabin; only ventilation.

Figure 1
Small aircraft heating and venting system

Copyright © 1998, 2009, By Refrigeration Service Engineers Society. -1-

 All figures are for illustrative purposes only. For actual information, contact manufacturer.

HEATING

The aircraft cabin, (see Figure 1) is heated by ram air which is passed through a specially constructed shroud fastened to
the exhaust manifold, mixing it with the ventilation air for the proper mixed air temperature, then through the same ducts
and diffusers used by the ventilation air. This air is also controlled manually. The pilot or other person operates a lever that
allows more or less heated air from the exhaust manifold shroud to be mixed with the ventilation air and pass the mixed air
into the distribution ducts to maintain the desired cabin temperature. The special exhaust manifold shroud is constructed so
that engine exhaust gases cannot get into the cabin hot air supply. The engine exhaust air contains carbon monoxide gas
which is hazardous to human life. There are very specific periodic inspection requirements on this shroud and the engine
exhaust system, to ensure that the products of engine combustion do not enter the cabin.

Another method of heating aircraft is by the use of a combustion furnace, (see Figure 2 and Figure 4) that uses fuel from the
aircraft fuel tanks. The furnace heats ram air and supplies it to the cabin. There are several solenoid valves in the fuel line
to control the flow of fuel. The fuel shut-off solenoid valve is controlled by the furnace master control switch and connected
in series with the over-temperature sensor and a loss-of-air flow sensor. This is for normal system off conditions and for
emergency shut down. The fuel control solenoid is in parallel with the fuel shut-off valve, downstream of the safety sensors,
and is controlled by the cabin thermostat. The fuel control valve is for air temperature control.

Figure 2

Small aircraft special furnace system

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 Figure 4

Small aircraft basic temperature control systems

For safety purposes, the combustion air is sealed from the cabin air to prevent the influx of carbon monoxide gas into the
cabin. There is a separate opening for combustion air to enter the furnace and an opening for the exhaust gases carrying the
products of combustion to be pushed overboard. The furnace is controlled by the pilot or other crew member turning on the
combustion air fan switch (which drives the fan and the furnace fuel pump) and adjusting the thermostat part of the switch
as required for cabin temperature control.

AIR CONDITIONING

Air conditioning (see Figure 3) is supplied to the aircraft cabin by attaching a belt-driven refrigerant compressor to the
aircraft engine and locating condenser, evaporator, fans, expansion valve, hoses, and controls elsewhere in the unoccupied
portion of the aircraft. Separate ducts and diffusers are used for the air conditioning system. Outside air must be supplied
to the condenser for cooling. This is accomplished by air scoops and the aircraft engine. The aircraft engine must be in
operation to drive the compressor and force air into the air scoop, through the condenser, and then overboard. The air for
the evaporator is drawn by fans (centrifugal blowers) from the cabin, through the register and return air ducts, blown through
the evaporator and the supply ducts and diffusers to distribute the air to the proper parts of the cabin.

Copyright © 1998, 2009, By Refrigeration Service Engineers Society. -3-

 Figure 3

Small aircraft air conditioning systems

The control system for the air conditioning system is manual, (see Figure 4) and is operated by the pilot or other person
in the cabin. The air conditioning master switch with several positions turns the fan on and varies the fan rpm as required
for proper cooling and supplies electrical power to the thermostat switch. The thermostat switch allows the compressor to
operate and to be cycled by the evaporator temperature. The compressor operates and is controlled in a way similar to an
automobile compressor. The electromagnetic clutch is cycled by the evaporator surface temperature and the pressure of
the refrigerant in the condenser.

There are some special considerations that must be observed for the air conditioning system during portions of the aircraft
operation. The air conditioning system must be turned off during takeoff, climbing, and landing. The reason for this requirement
is safety. Maximum power is required for takeoff and climbing and for landing, maximum power must be available in case
of an emergency.

OXYGEN

Oxygen for high altitude flights is usually provided to the pilots and others in the aircraft by donning oxygen masks or other
oxygen-supplying apparatus. The oxygen is stored in cylinders fastened inside the aircraft and manually controlled by
supply valves and pressure and flow regulators on each cylinder or mask.

These manual methods of temperature and ventilation control and oxygen supply are acceptable for small aircraft or even
medium-sized “freight only” aircraft. But these methods will not provide adequate control, amounts of conditioned air,
pressurization, or oxygen for large aircraft with several hundred passengers.

LARGE AIRCRAFT

The air conditioning systems for the larger passenger and cargo aircraft are an entirely different concept. These aircraft use
an air cycle system to condition the aircraft.

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AIR CYCLE SYSTEM

An air cycle system cools by use of compressed air (see Figure 5). First, air is compressed and passed through an air-to-air
heat exchanger, which removes the heat of compression. The compressed air then drives a turbine (sometimes called an
expander), which causes the air pressure to be lowered and reduces the air temperature a significant amount. The cold air
is then distributed into the area where heat must be removed.

Figure 5

Basic air cycle system

Some years ago a designer attempted to make this type of system available to air condition automobiles. The published
test information showed that the air cycle system worked very well except for a couple of significant problems: the moisture
removal was poor, and the air was contaminated by particles of metal, plastics, etc. that came from the compressor/
expander.

The air cycle system used in aircraft (see Figure 6) takes bleed air from one of the many compression stages of the jet
engine or engines. This bleed air is above atmospheric pressure and has a high temperature. The air is passed through a
primary heat exchanger to cool it to a more suitable temperature. The air is then split into two separate paths. One path for
the hot air is directly toward the air mixing (air conditioning) valve; the other path is toward a cooling pack. The air passing
through the cooling pack is cooled until its temperature is about 40 degrees F. After leaving the cooling pack, the air passes
through a moisture removal unit and then to the air mixing (air conditioning) valve. These two sources of air, one hot, one
cold, are mixed as required by the compartment temperature and delivered at the proper temperature to maintain the
passenger, crew, and cargo areas at the desired conditions. Not only is the bleed air delivered to the compartments at the
desired temperature, but at a pressure somewhat above the compartment pressure so that air flow can be maintained and
the compartment pressurized for high altitude operation of the aircraft.

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 Figure 6

Jet aircraft air conditioning systems

DISTRIBUTION

The air is distributed throughout the compartments and the cargo bay through diffusers and nozzles for comfort conditions.
Because fresh air is always being delivered to the compartment, it is necessary to constantly exhaust air overboard.
There are regulated (variable flow, automatic with manual resetting) and unregulated (fixed flow) exhaust ports through
the compartment. The unregulated exhaust ports are in areas such as the galley and toilets and allow air to exhaust
continuously for odor control. The regulated exhaust ports are controlled automatically to maintain the compartment at a
desirable pressure in flight and at atmospheric pressure for loading, taxiing, and landing.

COMPONENT FUNCTIONS

Much of the information on how each component in these systems operates or functions is maintained as vendor or
manufacturer confidential and is extremely difficult to gather and publish. So, as in the past, it is necessary to use the old
cliché “refer to the manufacturer for operational and repair data.” Some attempt will be made to review the basic function of
the major parts of these systems, but only for your familiarization.

The BLEED AIR from the aircraft engines is taken from very near the engine shaft to assure that it is clean, free from particle
contamination, oil vapors, dirt, etc., and passed through an air-to-air heat exchanger.

The COOLING PACK is a specially designed compressor and turbine mounted on a common shaft. Air is drawn into the
compressor, its pressure is raised and the air is passed through an air-to-air heat exchanger; then the compressed, cooled
air is used to drive the turbine. The power output from the turbine is supplied to operate the air compressor. The exhaust air
leaving the turbine is cold. There are safety sensors and controls in the cooling pack to shut it down if the air temperature
gets too high, if the turbine rpm increases beyond a set value, or if the air flow decreases.

There is a WATER SEPARATOR at the air outlet of the cooling packs. This separator removes the moisture from the cooled
air as it leaves the turbine. It is made up of a series of filters and a drip pot with a drain to remove the water as it accumulates.
Hot air can be passed across the water separator to prevent ice build-up in the separator during operation.

The air mixing valve, most often called the AIR CONDITIONING VALVE, operates automatically to mix cold air from the
cooling pack with hot air from the primary heat exchanger to maintain passenger comfort. The valve is controlled by the
thermostat, located in the passenger compartment, and by an automatic/cold switch in the crew compartment for operation
by the crew, when the aircraft is at low altitude or on the ground. There are safeties in this control system to prevent the air
from being delivered to the various compartments at too hot a temperature.

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The AIR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM is composed of several basic duct systems. These distribute conditioned air to the crew
compartment, the passenger compartment, and cold air to each passenger (adjustable by the passenger for both flow and
direction). Another supplies air to the cargo compartment. These are lightweight duct systems tucked away in the overhead
storage areas, under the floor, and along the sides of the aircraft fuselage. The air is distributed to provide the optimum
passenger and crew comfort.

For the non-smokers, most aircraft systems do not use return and recirculation systems; the air is fresh and makes one pass
through the compartments.

The air is exhausted from the aircraft through compartment pressure OUT-FLOW VALVES. The out-flow valves are controlled
by several sensors. The main function of these out-flow valves is to maintain pressure in the compartment so it is satisfactory
for passengers and the crew. This can be done automatically or manually.

The PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM CONTROL consists of a dial, an indicator and several knobs, and controls the out-flow
valves.

The COMPARTMENT PRESSURE-MANUAL knob can be turned one way to increase the pressure and the opposite way
to decrease the pressure. It can also be turned to the AUTO position which will allow the compartment pressures to be
adjusted automatically during flight as the altitude changes.

The MANUAL ADJUSTMENT knob is used to set the control system for the atmospheric pressure at the destination airport.
This is so the compartment can be brought to the local ambient atmospheric pressure during the approach for landing.

A RATE-OF-CHANGE knob is part of the control system to prevent the compartment pressure from decreasing or increasing
too rapidly during the climb to, or descent from, cruising altitude. Either too rapid a climb or descent can cause passenger
and crew ear drum discomfort.

There are other safety controls built into this system to prevent the aircraft compartment from exploding from a higher than
design internal pressure or imploding from a higher than design differential pressure between the aircraft compartment and
the ambient pressure outside the aircraft.

OXYGEN

These aircraft are equipped with an oxygen supply system that will automatically provide oxygen masks, hoses, and a
steady flow of oxygen for passenger survival in case of an emergency.

GROUND SUPPORT

When the aircraft is parked at the ramp it can be air conditioned for passenger and crew comfort while unloading, cleaning,
restocking and loading, by use of a ground support air conditioning cart or other unit that supplies air to the aircraft distribution
system.

These carts are either self-contained with built-in power systems, or they depend on electrical power from building facility
power outlets.

SUMMARY

The modern large aircraft has a very sophisticated system for maintaining the passengers and crew in comfort, keeping the
crew, passenger, and cargo compartments ventilated, the aircraft compartments pressurized, and, in case of emergency,
a supply of oxygen for each crew member and passenger. The controls for each of these systems are intricate and for the
most part are remotely controlled from the crew compartment.

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Formal schooling and Federal Aviation Administration licenses are required of the individual working or supervising work
on these systems. Much of the information to troubleshoot and repair the heating, cooling, ventilating, pressurization,
and emergency oxygen systems is dispersed only through the manufacturers and vendor-sponsored training classes. But
many times HVAC/R technicians are called upon to assist the licensed personnel in troubleshooting and repairing these
systems.

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