Patent ID: 8522572

Claim:
An aircraft adaptive power thermal management system comprising: a variable cooling power air cycle system, a vapor cycle system, and a fuel recirculation loop operably disposed therebetween, an air cycle system heat exchanger operably disposed between the air cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop for transferring heat from the fuel recirculation loop to the air cycle system, an intercooler in the air cycle system and the intercooler including a duct heat exchanger disposed in an air duct, the air cycle system heat exchanger operably disposed in a cooling air loop of the air cycle system used only for cooling fuel in the fuel recirculation loop, a vapor cycle system heat exchanger operably disposed between the vapor cycle system and the fuel recirculation loop for transferring heat from the vapor cycle system to the fuel recirculation loop, the air cycle system further including a variable speed air cycle machine having a power turbine drivingly connected to a machine compressor and a cooling turbine of the air cycle machine, the intercooler operably disposed between the machine compressor and the cooling turbine, the air cycle system heat exchanger operably disposed between the machine compressor and the cooling turbine, the power turbine connected to and in pressurized air receiving relationship with a compressor stage of an aircraft gas turbine engine high pressure compressor, and one or more aircraft fuel tanks in the fuel recirculation loop.