Patent ID: 8495880

Claim:
A system for cooling equipment onboard an aircraft using an engine fuel comprising a first isomer capable of being endothermally converted to one or more second isomers, the system comprising: a fuel tank configured to contain the fuel; a catalyst that increases the rate of isomerizing the first isomer into the one or more second combustible isomers, a process chamber thermally coupled to the equipment onboard the aircraft, the process chamber containing the catalyst and having an outlet; and a pump coupled between the fuel tank and the process chamber and configured to selectable transfer the fuel from the fuel tank through the process chamber and out through the outlet, wherein a portion of the first isomer endothermally isomerizes from the first isomer into the one or more second isomers upon receiving heat from the onboard equipment while within the process chamber and in the presence of the catalyst, thereby cooling the onboard equipment without raising a temperature of the fuel.