Grumman Aerospace Corporation

Stephen J Black

Richard W Hitzigrath

Douglas H Grundy

Arnold Rosenblatt

An arrangement that uses aircraft fuel as a heat sink for aircraft auxiliary oil systems for an aircraft having at least one engine operated by fuel and having an engine interface limit and including a fuel/oil heat exchanger for removing heat from the aircraft auxiliary oil systems and having a fuel outlet temperature, a temperature sensing for determining temperature of the fuel leaving the fuel/oil heat exchanger, a recirculating flow control valve having variable positions including an open and a closed position controlled by the temperature sensor, the fuel always going to the aircraft engine but also going through the flow control valve when the flow control valve is in the open position so that recirculation is minimized and maximum heat is rejected to the engine by the fuel outlet temperature of the fuel/oil heat exchanger when the fuel outlet temperature of the fuel/oil heat exchanger is controlled by the engine interface limit, a ram air heat exchanger for removing heat from the fuel leaving the recirculating flow control valve, and a bypass line disposed across the recirculating flow control valve so as to always provide a small amount of fuel recirculation flow so that possible freezing of stagnant fuel in the ram air heat exchanger is prevented at high altitude when the flow control valve is in the closed position and also the aircraft auxiliary oil systems can be cooled when the engine is not operating and auxiliary systems are powered by ground support equipment.

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Huntington Station, NY, United States of America

Stephen J Black