Patent ID: 7246658

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an aircraft operable to roll; and a heat exchanger operable to perform heat exchange for the aircraft, the heat exchanger including: a conduit having spaced first and second portions and a thermally conductive portion disposed therebetween, said second portion being vertically lower than said first portion; a supply section for supplying to said first portion of said conduit a fluid coolant, at least a portion of the coolant being in a vapor state, and at least a portion of the coolant flowing from said first portion of said conduit through said thermally conductive portion thereof to said second portion thereof; thermally conductive structure having a portion which is thermally coupled to said thermally conductive portion of said conduit for receiving heat from coolant in said thermally conductive portion of said conduit, so that coolant in a vapor state is cooled and changes to a liquid state; a plurality of valves which each have an inlet and an outlet, said inlets of said valves are offset from each other so that at least one of said inlets is vertically lower than at least one other inlet of said inlets throughout all angles of a roll of the aircraft; fluid communication structure providing fluid communication between said inlet of each said valve and said second portion of said conduit; valve control structure responsive to the presence of coolant in a liquid state at the inlet to either said valve for opening that valve; and a discharge section communicating with said outlet of each said valve.