Patent ID: 7837541

Claim:
A method for reducing outside air inflow required for aircraft passenger cabin air quality, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining a minimum predicted outflow valve open area value required to transport contaminated air from inside the aircraft to outside the aircraft as a function of aircraft altitude and based on a predetermined set of parameters; obtaining a measured outflow valve open area value based on actual operating parameters; using a process controller to compare the predicted outflow valve open area value to the measured outflow valve open area value; determining that an outside air inflow required to maintain the passenger cabin air quality to compensate for fuselage leakage exceeds each one of a set of outside air inflow requirements other than passenger cabin air quality; and, reducing outside air inflow when the measured outflow valve open area value is greater than the predicted outflow valve open area value, and when the outside air inflow required to maintain the passenger cabin air quality to compensate for fuselage leakage is greater than each one of the set of outside air inflow requirements other than passenger cabin air quality.