The Boeing Company

Raymond H Horstman

Chao-Hsin Lin

Richard A Johnson

James P Schalla

Marcus K Richardson

Tateh Wu

Thomas R Hasenoehrl

Kirk Douglas Skaggs

Douglas E Peash

Robert William Dost

J Everett Groat

George Bates, Iii

Wrenn P Holman

Arthur S Yorozu

Damian G Monda

Dennis D Chung

Ernest E Williams, Jr

Quy Lam

Kenneth J Walter

Luc Tu Kha

John A Wilson

John M Brown

Steven L Williams

Scott W Bohm

EdmundFidelino P Cordero

Kyongsoo Chae

Lin Chao-Hsin

George Bates Iii

Chae Kyongsoo

A seal assembly for a gas turbine engine employs a first seal forming an oil chamber around a bearing. The first seal is configured to maintain the oil chamber at a first pressure. A second seal forms a ventilating cavity around the oil chamber. The second seal is configured to maintain the ventilating cavity at a second pressure, the second pressure being less than the first pressure and less than an ambient pressure of a primary flow path in the engine. A pressure reducing device is coupled to the ventilating cavity. The pressure reducing device is configured to maintain the second pressure.

Seal assembly and method for reducing aircraft engine oil leakage

A case for a galley cart defines a cavity with at least two dividers positioned within the cavity, each having a first end edge and an opposing second end edge, with the dividers defining at least two chambers within the cavity. A door is movably attached to the case having a first position in which the cavity is accessible and a second position in which the cavity is substantially sealed. The door incorporates a housing having at least one cooling puck corresponding to at least a first one of the chambers and a second cooling puck corresponding to a second one of the chambers. At least one sealing member is coupled to the housing in the door and configured to compress against the first end edges of the dividers and to provide flow communication between the first cooling compartment and the first chamber and between the second cooling compartment and the second chamber when the door is in the second position.

Vertically mounted dry ice cooling compartment applied to a galley cart for temperature gradient reduction

A galley cart incorporates a housing defining a cavity and having an opening. A door is hingedly attached to the housing to seal the opening and allow access to the cavity through the opening. A compartment is provided in the cart configured to contain cooling media. An integrated support rail is coupled to the housing within the cavity and configured to at least partially support a tray within the cavity. The support rail has multiple orifices therethrough and the support rail is in flow communication with the compartment.

Dual-function food tray support tubes for a galley cart

A system for providing oxygen includes an oxygen generating device, configured to provide oxygenated air, a monitor of a condition of the air provided by the oxygen generating device, a backup oxygen supply, and an automatic switch. The automatic switch is configured to activate the backup oxygen supply and block air from the oxygen generating device when the monitor detects a failure of the condition of the air provided by the oxygen generating device. The system can be used for providing backup oxygen in an aircraft.

Oxygen generating system

A system and methods for reducing pressure in an enclosed volume is disclosed. A first quantity of steam is inserted into a condensation chamber, and the first quantity of steam is substantially condensed in the condensation chamber. A first quantity of air is extracted from an enclosed volume into the condensation chamber.

System and methods for ground-based cabin/cargo pressurization/depressurization

An aircraft has a ventilation system that employs a plurality of nozzles positioned in a cavity between a sidewall of the aircraft cabin and a section of the aircraft fuselage. The nozzles receive a supply of ventilation air and direct jets of air from the nozzles, through the cavity and into the aircraft cabin. The jets of air produced by the nozzles create low-pressure areas in the cavity. At least one return air opening in the cabin sidewall communicates the low-pressure areas with the cabin interior, whereby the low pressure areas draw air from the cabin interior into the cavity where the drawn air is entrained with the jets of air produced by the nozzles. Devices inside the cavity remove suspended impurities from the air drawn into the cavity. In this manner, the ventilation system filters or sanitizes the air drawn through the system.

Aircraft cabin air entrainment filtration with condensation drain

A method and apparatus for distributing air. The apparatus includes an air distribution vent that distributes air into a compartment, wherein the distribution of air into the compartment causes compartment air from the compartment to be drawn from the compartment. The apparatus also includes a contaminant removal system, wherein compartment air drawn from the compartment is processed to remove contaminants before being distributed back into the compartment by the air distribution vent.

Cabin air supply apparatus with filtered air

An aircraft air distribution system includes a base and first and second arrays of nozzle air transfer ports in the base. An adjustable flow plate is positioned over the nozzle air transfer ports. A compressible member is located between the base and the adjustable flow plate and between the first and second arrays. First and second air ejector regions are located, respectively, on the sides of the compressible member between the base and the adjustable flow plate to connect to the first and second arrays, and direct air from the first and second arrays from the sides of the base. Fasteners moveably connect the adjustable flow plate to the base and are adjustable to change a size of different sections of the first and second air ejector regions to change an amount of airflow originating from the different sections of these regions.

Adjustable cabin nozzle

A decompression panel assembly ( ) for use in an aircraft separation structure ( ). The panel assembly includes a support pan ( ) having an opening ( ), a bull nose ( ) extending outwardly from the support pan at the opening's edge, and a recess ( ) surrounding the bull nose. An inner seal ( ) is sized and located within the recess ( ). A retaining ring ( ) is provided and includes a number of fingers ( ) formed from spaced-apart slits ( ) extending into the retaining ring ( ) from the ring's inner edge. The assembly ( ) further includes a pressure relief panel ( ) shaped similar to the support pan opening shape, though sized slightly larger. The pressure relief panel ( ) is held between the support pan bull nose ( ) and the retaining ring ( ) during non-decompression use. A number of index pins ( ) interconnect between the retaining ring and the support pan. A grill ( ) is attached to the support pan to protect the pressure relief panel. During a rapid decompression event, the retaining ring fingers ( ) flex slightly to reduce the holding force applied to the pressure relief panel ( ), thus allowing the pressure relief panel to quickly and entirely detach from the panel assembly ( ).

Flow-efficient, static pressure-shielding, fire-resistant decompression panel assembly

An alternate ventilation system for an aircraft having a body structure and a plurality of electronic devices is provided. The ventilation system includes a ventilation conduit, an inboard supply valve, a first outflow valve and a second outflow valve. The ventilation conduit is adapted to be coupled to the body structure for directing a ventilation flow of air along a predetermined flow path. The inboard supply valve is coupled to the ventilation conduit and adapted for drawing air from the cabin into the ventilation conduit when positioned in the open condition. The first outflow valve is coupled to the ventilation conduit and adapted for discharging at least a portion of the ventilation flow from the ventilation conduit to a point outside the body structure when positioned in the open condition. The second outflow valve is coupled to the body structure and operable in a first mode and a second mode. The first mode is adapted to selectively enable a discharge airflow from the cabin and the second mode is adapted to selectively enable an input airflow into the cabin. A method for ventilating an aircraft is also provided herein.

Alternate ventilation system

The present invention involves laminar flow control for reducing drag on a body moving through a fluid. A skin is provided through which fluid in the boundary layer is drawn. The skin includes a plurality of perforations. The ratio of the effective area of the perforations to the skin area is spatially variable. The ratio is varied to compensate for expected variations in external pressure such that a substantially uniform suction results in a spatially uniform mass flow rate through the skin. Preferably, the perforations are approximately tapered to avoid inspiration of debris and unwanted outflow.

Perforated wing panel with variable porosity

A supply air ventilation system for providing symmetrical airflow distribution in the cabin of an aircraft, while avoiding excessive flow velocity. The ventilation system includes a supply duct (106) from which pressurized supply air is delivered through a first nozzle (118) at a relatively higher velocity and lower flow volume than through a second nozzle (110). Air flowing through the first nozzle attaches to a surface (132) of an overhead storage bin (16) that curves downwardly into the cabin (12) of the aircraft due to the Coanda Effect, and mixes with the lower velocity higher volume air flowing through the second nozzle, thereby carrying it downwardly into the aircraft cabin.

Dual nozzle cabin ventilation system

A ventilation system for clearing gaseous and particulate contaminants such as cigarette smoke and metabolic exhalants from an aircraft cabin. The ventilation system is disclosed in two embodiments, the first having an overhead discharge duct (84) through which supply air is provided to the interior of the cabin (12) and discharge nozzles (78) disposed adjacent the lower portion of the inwardly extending end of storage bins (20) through which supply air is discharged toward the sidewalls (14) of the cabin. Air is exhausted from the cabin through exhaust air ducts (40) disposed immediately below the point where the storage bins attach to the sidewalls. In addition, air is recirculated from the cabin through recirculation air ducts (30) disposed adjacent the floor of the cabin. Relatively contaminated air is thus swept by the supply airflow directly into the exhaust air ducts for venting outside the aircraft, while cleaner air is recirculated back to the supply air ducts for ventilation of the cabin. In a second embodiment, the supply air is provided through discharge ducts (177) disposed immediately above the overhead storage bins (120 ) and contaminated air is exhausted through an exhaust slot (141) disposed on the lower surface of the storage bins. In each embodiment, the contaminated air is swept immediately into the exhaust duct without significant recirculation and mixing with the air that is returned to ventilate the cabin.

Aircraft cabin ventilation system

A control and method for maintaining the concentration of carbon dioxide in the cabin (11) of an aircraft at a desired level. A carbon dioxide sensor (40, 41) is disposed to monitor the concentration of carbon dioxide in the cabin of the aircraft. Air drawn from the cabin at locations (24, 25) where the concentration of carbon dioxide is relatively higher than at other locations (31, 32) is selectively vented overboard or recirculated in response to the concentration of carbon dioxide in the cabin. As more air is vented overboard to maintain the cabin at a desired level of carbon dioxide concentration, an air pack compensates by supplying additional pressurized fresh air to the cabin. Should the cabin pressure drop below a minimum set point limit, the control causes less air to be vented overboard, irrespective of the carbon dioxide concentration. In another embodiment, cabin pressure is controlled between predetermined limits, and so long as the pressure remains between those limits, additional pressurized fresh air is provided if the level of carbon dioxide increases beyond a predetermined limit.

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Snohomish, WA, United States of America

Raymond H Horstman