SBIR-STTR Award

The primary objective of the proposed effort is to develop a variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset. Particular emphasis will be given to vapor cycle components with two phase flow analysis capability in the Phase I with expansion to additional components and hardware validation in the Phase II. The toolset will be designed in a modular, drag and drop library in Matlab/Simulink. Components will be modeled from first principles and performance maps with underlying physics being transient for relevant system states. Upon completion of the thermal management component models, an example system will be modeled to verify the approach. Various control strategies will be implemented as a proof-of-concept demonstration of the toolset. Documentation will be provided through html help files integrated directly with the Matlab/Simulink help file system.

Benefit:
As cooling concepts on-board present/future military aircraft continue to advance, the need for dynamic vapor cycle system analysis is apparent. The direct benefit of the Phase I effort will be the development of a variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset capable of analyzing dynamic vapor compression cycles including two phase flow. The toolset will provide the Air Force and aerospace community with the diverse, robust, and accurate analysis capability needed to investigate present/advanced cooling designs of military aircraft. A proof-of-concept study using a real hardware system will provide the necessary verification of the tool to justify transition into a Phase II and beyond.

Keywords:
Aircraft Thermal Management, Vapor Cycle, Matlab, Simulink, Transient, Refrigeration Cycle, Two Phase Flow

The primary objectives of the proposed effort are to enhance, expand, and validate a variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset. The toolset will be used to model hardware systems in order to validate the approach. In addition, the modeling capability of the tool will be enhanced and expanded to enable modeling of complex thermal management systems. The toolset is designed in a modular, drag and drop library in Matlab/Simulink. Components are developed with a focus on speed, flexibility, and fidelity. The toolset will be provided to a wide user base to ensure that it meets the needs of the modeling community. Documentation will be provided through html help files integrated directly with the Matlab/Simulink help file system.

Benefit:
As cooling concepts on-board present/future military aircraft continue to advance, the need for dynamic vapor cycle system analysis is apparent. The direct benefit of the Phase II effort will be the development of a validated variable-fidelity transient thermal management toolset capable of analyzing dynamic vapor compression cycles including two-phase flow. The toolset will provide the Air Force and aerospace community with the diverse, robust, and accurate analysis capability needed to investigate present/advanced cooling designs of military aircraft. The transition to industry in the Phase II will set the stage for expansive engineering services and support in the Phase III.

Keywords:
Aircraft Thermal Management, Vapor Cycle, Matlab, Simulink, Transient, Refrigeration Cycle, Two Phase Flow