Abstract:
An active cooling panel apparatus comprises a first surface including a thermally conductive material, a second surface generally parallel with the first surface, and at least one separator separating the first surface and second surface and defining a fluid flow channel between the first surface and the second surface, the fluid flow channel guiding fluid to flow from an inlet port, through the fluid flow channel, and out through an outlet port.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/763,837 entitled “Active Cooling Panel for a Vehicle Galley” and filed Feb. 12, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Embodiments relate to panels that thermally separate equipment from adjacent equipment in a vehicle galley. More specifically, embodiments relate to an active cooling panel for thermally separating galley ovens in a vehicle from adjacent equipment and walls. 
         [0003]    Presently, galley inserts, for example, ovens and chillers, are placed into designated “boxes” or galley insert receptacles within a galley. There are thermal limits as to how much heat may be presented to an adjacent wall or insert from a given galley insert. A galley insert, for example an oven, may not present more heat than the galley design and performance specifications permit to an adjacent wall or other galley insert. Ovens in particular typically require a greater amount of insulation to meet these specifications. As a result, more space in the limited galley space must be devoted to insulating the oven from its surroundings. Typically, an oven would require about a half inch air gap to the wall of the “box” within which the oven is inserted, then the panel representing the wall of the “box” would have a required thickness of about half an inch, and then there would be another half inch air gap to the next galley insert on the other side of the “box” wall required in order to meet the galley design and performance specifications. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    According to an embodiment, an active cooling panel apparatus includes a first surface having a thermally conductive material, a second surface generally parallel with the first surface, and at least one separator separating the first surface and second surface. The at least one separator defines a fluid flow channel between the first surface and the second surface. The fluid flow channel guides fluid to flow from an inlet port, through the fluid flow channel, and out through an outlet port. 
         [0005]    The fluid may be air. 
         [0006]    The fluid may be liquid. 
         [0007]    The second surface may include a thermally insulating material. 
         [0008]    The thickness of the separator separating the first surface and second surface may separate the first surface and the second surface by a distance of equal to or less than about 1.5 inches, 1.0 inches, or 0.5 inches. 
         [0009]    The active cooling panel apparatus may include at least two separators separating the first surface and second surface. The at least two separators may define a serpentine fluid flow channel from the inlet port to the outlet port. 
         [0010]    According to another embodiment, a galley system includes a galley insert, and an active cooling panel disposed adjacent an exterior side wall of the galley insert. The active cooling panel is operative to provide thermal insulation between the galley insert and at least one of a wall and another galley insert. The active cooling panel includes a first surface having a thermally conductive material, a second surface generally parallel with the first surface, and at least one separator separating the first surface and second surface. The at least one separator defines a fluid flow channel that guides fluid to flow from an inlet port, through the fluid flow channel, and out through an outlet port. 
         [0011]    The first surface may be disposed on a side of the active cooling panel proximate the galley insert. 
         [0012]    The galley insert may include an oven. 
         [0013]    The galley insert may include a chiller. 
         [0014]    The chiller may include a vapor cycle system. 
         [0015]    The first surface may be disposed on a side of the active cooling panel adjacent the galley insert, and the second surface may be disposed on a side of the active cooling panel opposite the galley insert. 
         [0016]    While the exemplary embodiments described herein are presented in the context of an aircraft galley including ovens and chillers, these embodiments are exemplary only and are not to be considered limiting. The embodiments of the apparatus are not limited to use in an aircraft galley or to use adjacent to ovens. For example, embodiments of the apparatus may be adapted for a refrigerator, freezer, heater, air conditioner, and devices that generate temperature differentials with adjacent spaces or equipment. Various embodiments may be used in any vehicle, including aircraft, spacecraft, ships, buses, trains, recreational vehicles, trucks, automobiles, and the like. Embodiments of the apparatus may also be used in homes, offices, hotels, factories, warehouses, garages, and other buildings where it may be desirable to provide thermal isolation or insulation in a small space. In general, the embodiments may be used in any location or application in which thermal isolation or insulation is desired between adjacent equipment and/or spaces. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    Various embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and following discussion. 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a plan view that illustrates a portion of an aircraft galley including a group of two ovens, a group of two chillers, and two active cooling panels, one on each side of the group of two ovens, according to an embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view that illustrates an active cooling panel showing structures that guide airflow through the active cooling panel, according to an embodiment. 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a top view that illustrates a cross section of an active cooling panel showing airflow velocities from the inlet port through to the outlet port, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    In various embodiments, an active cooling panel is placed on either side of an oven or grouping of ovens in a galley to reduce an amount and required thickness of insulation or air gaps required between the oven and an adjacent wall or galley equipment. For example, an active cooling panel may have a thickness of about half an inch, and may be placed immediately adjacent to the oven on one side and the adjacent galley insert (e.g., chiller) on the other side. The active cooling panel may replace the wall of the “box” in which the galley inserts are inserted. As such, the space between galley inserts may be reduced while meeting heat isolation specifications. Where two ovens are situated side by side, the active cooling panel may be omitted, and the ovens may be disposed side by side with no space or insulation between them. Likewise, where two chillers are situated side by side, the active cooling panel may be omitted, and the chillers may be disposed side by side with no space or insulation between them. A benefit of this approach is that galleys may be designed and constructed more cost-effectively and to make better utilization of space by using active cooling panels where appropriate to thermally isolate hot galley equipment from neighboring equipment while minimizing unused and nonproductive space between galley equipment inserts. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a plan view that illustrates a portion of an aircraft galley  100  including a group of two chillers  120 A and  120 B (each of which may be generally referred to as a chiller  120 ), a group of two ovens  130 A and  130 B (each of which may be generally referred to as an oven  130 ), and two active cooling panels  140 A and  140 B (each of which may be generally referred to as an active cooling panel  140 ), one on each side of the group of two ovens  130 A and  130 B, according to an embodiment. As illustrated, the group of two chillers  120 A and  120 B and group of two ovens  130 A and  130 B are situated side by side in the galley  100  between front and back walls  110 A and  110 B, and adjacent to a side wall  110 C. In various embodiments, additional galley equipment or another wall may be disposed to the right side of the chiller  120 B. In various embodiments, the group of two chillers  120 A and  120 B and group of two ovens  130 A and  130 B may be disposed at a lower level of the galley  100  below a galley workdeck (not shown), or at an upper level of the galley  100  above the galley workdeck, depending upon the application. The ovens  130 A and  130 B are disclosed as embodiments of hot galley inserts, but this should not be construed as limiting. Other equipment which generates heat that creates a thermal differential with adjacent equipment or space may also be included in the galley  100  as a hot galley insert in the place of the ovens  130 A and/or  130 B. Such other equipment may include a heater, a dishwasher, a washing machine or dryer for fabrics (such as clothing or towels), a coffee maker, a hot water dispenser, etc. Likewise, the chillers  120 A and  120 B are disclosed as embodiments of cold galley inserts, but this should not be construed as limiting. Other equipment which provides cooling to create a thermal differential with adjacent equipment or space may also be included in the galley  100  as a cold galley insert in the place of the chillers  120 A and/or  120 B. Such other equipment may include a refrigerator, a freezer, an air conditioner, an ice maker, a cold water dispenser, etc. 
         [0023]    The active cooling panel  140 A or  140 B may be used as a thermal divider between the hot and cold galley inserts. Instead of adding insulation or air gaps around the group of ovens  130 A and  130 B to prevent heat from the ovens  130 A and  130 B from spreading to the adjacent wall  110 C and/or group of chillers  120 A and  120 B, each of the active cooling panels  140 A and  140 B may be used instead in order to provide better thermal isolation in a smaller space. The active cooling panel  140  may be placed anywhere in the galley  100  as a separate and independent module where thermal isolation between two areas and/or pieces of equipment is desired. Insulation may additionally be included in the walls or exterior panels of the ovens  140 A and  140 B to reduce heat loss from the ovens  140 A and  140 B and improve the ovens&#39; performance. 
         [0024]    The active cooling panel  140  comprises a pair of exterior surfaces  150 A and  150 B (each of which may be generally referred to as an exterior surface  150 ) that have large surface areas about equal to one another. The surfaces areas of the pair of exterior surfaces  150  are considered large because they are significantly larger than surface areas of other surfaces that join the pair of exterior surfaces together to enclose a space therebetween. The surface area of one of the pair of exterior surfaces  150  having large surface areas may be about the same as the surface area of a side wall of a galley insert such as an oven or a chiller, for example. 
         [0025]    The pair of exterior surfaces  150  of the active cooling panel  140  having large surface areas are separated by at least one thin airflow channel defined by one or more separators that connect the pair of exterior surfaces having large surface area on either side of the thin airflow channel. The one or more separators may be generally perpendicular to the exterior surfaces  150  having large surface areas. The active cooling panel  140  actively cools its exterior surfaces  150  by circulating a fluid, such as air, through an interior of the active cooling panel  140 . In various alternative embodiments, the circulated fluid may be a liquid such as water or liquid coolant from a central liquid cooling system of the aircraft. The active cooling panel  140  thus prevents heat from building up in its exterior surfaces  150 . 
         [0026]    In various embodiments, the active cooling panel  140  may be as thin as or thinner than 0.5 inches. In various other embodiments, the active cooling panel  140  may be as thin as or thinner than 1.5 inches, or as thin as or thinner than 1.0 inches, depending upon the application. The active cooling panel  140  may be inserted into the galley  100  in much the same way as the ovens  130 A and  130 B and chillers  120 A and  120 B, but situated between the groups of ovens  130  and chillers  120 . The active cooling panel  140  thus may not be a structural or load-bearing member of the galley  100 . 
         [0027]    The active cooling panel  140  may be used between groups of hot galley inserts and cold galley inserts, or between such inserts and walls of the galley  100 . In general, it may not be necessary for an active cooling panel  140  to be disposed between adjacent ovens  130 , such as between the oven  130 A and oven  130 B, because the performance of a first individual oven  130  (e.g., oven  130 A) may not negatively impacted by heat produced by the neighboring oven  130  (e.g., oven  130 B) that is presented to the space occupied by the first individual oven  130  (e.g., oven  130 A). In various embodiments, the active cooling panel  140  may be disposed only between an oven  130  and a vertical galley wall such as wall  110 C, a chiller such as chiller  120 A, and an aesthetic vertical wall (not shown) which may comprise a touchable surface for opening the oven  130 . Such an aesthetic vertical wall may be situated in front of an oven  130  (e.g., the oven  130 A) where the wall  110 B is shown in  FIG. 1 . The aesthetic vertical wall may include an active cooling panel  140  integrated therein. By integrating the active cooling panel  140  into the aesthetic vertical wall, a user of the galley  100  may touch an exterior of the aesthetic vertical wall to access an interior of the oven  130 A without feeling excessive heat coming from the oven  130 A. In other words, an exterior of the aesthetic vertical wall in front of the oven  130 A may be cool to the touch. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view that illustrates an active cooling panel  200  showing the structures that guide airflow through the active cooling panel  200 , according to an embodiment. The active cooling panel  200  may be an embodiment of the active cooling panel  140  of  FIG. 1 . The active cooling panel  200  includes a thin airflow channel through which air flows from an inlet port  210  through to an outlet port  220 . The air flowing through the active cooling panel  200  may be provided to the active cooling panel  200  via air ducts from an air chiller that chills air using a vapor cycle system or using a central liquid cooling system of the aircraft, for example. Alternatively, the air flowing through the active cooling panel  200  may be provided to the active cooling panel  200  via air ducts from a fan that circulates room temperature air from the general environs of the galley  100 . Air flowing through the active cooling panel  200  may come from other sources in and outside of the aircraft, in various embodiments. While the active cooling panel  200  is illustrated as having one inlet port  210  and one outlet port  220 , this should not be construed as limiting, as the active cooling panel  200  may have more inlet ports  210  and/or more outlet ports  220 . 
         [0029]    The active cooling panel  200  includes at least two channels  250  in a serpentine configuration separated by channel separators  240  through which air flows from the inlet port  210  through to the outlet port  220 . As illustrated, the active cooling panel  200  includes four channels  250 A,  250 B,  250 C, and  250 D (each of which may be generally referred to as a channel  250 ) separated by channel separators  240 A,  240 B, and  240 C (each of which may be generally referred to as a channel separator  240 ). Between each of the channels  250  is at least one guide vane  230  that guides the air flowing from a first channel to the next channel which travels in a different direction. For example, air may flow through the channel  250 A in a downward direction from the inlet port  210  into the guide vane  230 A, which then turns the airflow to flow upward through the next channel  250 B to the guide vane  230 B. The guide vane  230 B then turns the airflow to flow downward through the next channel  250 C to the guide vane  230 C. The guide vane  230 C finally turns the airflow to flow upward through the next channel  250 D to the outlet port  220 . Each of the guide vanes  230 A,  230 B, and  230 C may be generally referred to as a guide vane  230 . 
         [0030]    The active cooling panel  200  may be constructed having exterior surfaces  150  on either side of the at least one thin airflow channel that have different thermal conduction properties. For example, when the active cooling panel  200  is situated between the oven  130 B and the chiller  120 A, a thermally conductive material (e.g., copper or aluminum) that conducts heat well may form or cover at least a portion of the exterior surface  150 A of the active cooling panel  200  that faces the oven  130 . This side of the active cooling panel  200  is hereinafter referred to as the hot side of the active cooling panel  200 . As such, the thermally conductive material may spread the heat across the hot side of the active cooling panel  200  to prevent hot spots and improve efficiency of heat transfer from the hot side to the air that flows through the channels  250  of the active cooling panel  200 . The cold side of the active cooling panel  200  that faces the chiller  120 A may include a material with low thermal conductivity forming or covering at least a portion of the exterior surface  150 B in order to provide further insulation to thermally isolate the oven  130 B from the chiller  120 A. This material having low thermal conductivity may include glass, fiberglass, and polystyrene, for example. 
         [0031]      FIG. 3  illustrates a cross section  300  of an active cooling panel  300  showing airflow velocities from an inlet port  310  through to an outlet port  320 , according to an embodiment. The active cooling panel  300  may be an embodiment of the active cooling panel  200  shown in  FIG. 2 . The airflow velocities shown in  FIG. 3  should be construed as exemplary, and not limiting. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations may be performed of various embodiments of active cooling panels having different shapes, numbers, lengths, and widths of airflow channels in order to determine optimal designs for desired airflows and heat transfer characteristics. Such variations in designs are within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto. 
         [0032]    As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , in an embodiment, airflow velocities tend to be lower to the sides of the inlet port  310  than the central region of the inlet port  310  due to the shape of the inlet port  310 , and generally uniform in the mid-range of airflow velocities beyond the inlet port  310  throughout the width of channels  350 A,  350 B,  350 C, and  350 D, which are separated by the channel separators  340 A,  340 B, and  340 C. There tends to be greater variation in airflow velocities with position through guide vanes  330 A,  330 B, and  330 C. Each of the channels  350 A,  350 B,  350 C, and  350 D may be generally referred to as a channel  350 . Each of the channel separators  340 A,  340 B, and  340 C may be generally referred to as a channel  340 . Each of the guide vanes  330 A,  330 B, and  330 C may be generally referred to as a guide vane  330 . 
         [0033]    All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein. 
         [0034]    For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference has been made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language has been used to describe these embodiments. However, no limitation of the scope of the invention is intended by this specific language, and the invention should be construed to encompass all embodiments that would normally occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of exemplary embodiments of the invention. In the description of the embodiments, certain detailed explanations of related art are omitted when it is deemed that they may unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. 
         [0035]    The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in this art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the following claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the invention. 
         [0036]    No item or component is essential to the practice of the invention unless the element is specifically described as “essential” or “critical”. It will also be recognized that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” and “having,” as used herein, are specifically intended to be read as open-ended terms of art. The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, it should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms, which are only used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.