Pneumatic Systems

Air Conditioning

The following are the requirements air-conditioning systems should have according to BCAR (British
Civil Aviation Requirements):

1. Provision of fresh air – The air conditioning system must be able to deliver 1lb of fresh air per seat
per minute during normal operation. If a failure of any component in the air conditioning occurs, it
should still be able to provide no less than 0.5lb of fresh air.
2. Temperature – The cabin air temperature should be maintained within 18ºC to 24ºC
3. Relative Humidity – The relative humidity inside the cabin should be maintained at approximately
30%
4. Contamination – Carbon monoxide contamination of the cabin air must not exceed 1 part in 20,000.
5. Ventilation – Adequate ventilation must be provided on the ground and during unpressurised phases
of flight.
6. Duplication – The air conditioning system must be duplicated to the extent that no single component
will cause the provision of fresh air to fall less that 0.5 per seat per minute.
7. Adequate Supply – The flow of air inside the cabin should be maintained at a constant rate during all
phases of flight.

Methods of Air Conditioning

UNPRESSURISED FLIGHT

Ram Air Systems

Ram air systems are typically used in unpressurised piston engine aircraft. Ambient air is introduced in
to the cabin through forward facing air intakes. Hot air can be produced by taking some of the cold
ambient air and running them through a duct that is in contact with the exhaust or a combustion heater.

*NOTE: The ram air must not come into contact with, or be contaminated by, the exhaust gases or the
air used for combustion.
A sample of a typical ram air system can be seen from the figure on the previous page. Following the
front ram air inlet, the air travels through a duct which passes through the exhaust muff wherein the air
comes into contact with the hot exhaust pipe. The air then travels through a duct that exits through a
vent at the base of the windshield providing the hot air needed for demisting. The hot air can also pass
underneath the floor for heating or wherever hot air is needed.
An additional inlet can be placed on the side of the aircraft in addition to the ram air on the leading
edge of the wing. This will serve as a supplementary means of ventilation when the aircraft speed is not
fast enough for the ram air to force through the ducts. This additional inlet is equipped with a blower to
aid the air’s movement. The air will then exit through vents above the cabin.

Combustion Heater
Some aircrafts may use a combustion heater to supply the hot air needed in the cabin. These
combustion heaters use fuel and air supplied by a combustion blower to produce the heat needed.
Similar to using an exhaust muff, ram air is ducted around the combustion heater so that the air comes
into close contact with the hot combustion chamber. The ram air is assisted by a fan whenever the flow
of air is not enough. The combustion heater can be seen below.

PRESSURISED FLIGHT

Engine Driven Cabin Supercharger (Blower) Systems

When bleed air from the engine is not available, cabin air may be supplied through the use of blowers
or superchargers. The rotational movement of the engine is harnessed by the blower through the use of
an accessory gearbox. A simple illustration of common types of superchargers (blower) are shown in
the images on the next page.
The image above (left) is known as a centrifugal
supercharger. It works by flinging the air towards
the side of the casing through centrifugal forces.
The positive pressure created by the centrifugal
force and air rushing in through the fill side
forces the charged air to flow out of the discharge
side. The image above (right) is known as a roots
type supercharger. This type of supercharger
works similar to an external gear pump in
hydraulic systems. The gears, or in this instance
the lobes, of the supercharger scoops air in
through the lobes’ rotation and forces them
towards the discharge side. The image shown on
the right shows the rotation of the lobes.

The diagram on the left shows a simple

cabin supercharger system. The air
comes from the supercharger (blower)
and is then ducted through a silencer.
The silencer works by reducing the harsh
sounds produced by the rushing air from
the blower. The lining of the silencer
may contain an acoustic media that
absorbs the force of the sound waves. It
also contains perforations, or holes,
within the walls to further help in sound
absorption. After passing through a
silencer, the air passes through a mass
flow controller which detects the amount
of air that comes in from the blower. Any
excess air detected causes the controller
to open a spill valve to dump the excess air back out into the atmosphere. The choke heat valve can be
used to heat up the air to an appropriate amount by limiting the flow of air thus increasing it’s pressure
and temperature. The hot air can then be directly used for cabin heating, or it can be cooled through the
cooling pack. The cooling pack can be viewed as a form of precooler wherein the charged air is passed
through channels within the precooler, and these channels are exposed to the ambient air outside of the
aircraft, cooling the casing of the precooler, and in turn cooling the air within. The cool charged air then
passed through a water separator. This is necessary because cool air produces condensation that must
be removed in order to avoid water pooling inside the system, and also to avoid water droplets being
flung inside the cabin. The air pressure is then allowed to return close to atmospheric conditions
providing a cooler air compared to its initial conditions. After this, the cold air meets up with the hot air
in the air mixing valves. These valves control the temperature of air that is then used inside the cabin.

Turbo-compressor (Bootstrap)

This type of system works similar to the engine driven supercharger type, the main difference being
how the compressor functions. In a supercharger, the rotation of the compressor is powered by the
rotation of the engine through the use of a gearbox. In a turbo-compressor (turbocharger) however, the
rotation of the compressor is taken from the movement of pressurised air similar to how an air starter
operates.

As seen in the diagram above, a turbo-

compressor has two major sections, the turbine
section and the compressor section. The turbine
section uses the movement of air in order to spin
a shaft that is connected to the compressor
impeller. The spinning compressor then sucks in
more air for the system. Understanding this, we
can begin to understand the schematic diagram
on the right.
The system starts by getting air from the engine compressor stage and travels more or less the same
path as the supercharger system. The charged air travels across a heat exchanger where the air’s
temperature is reduced. It then gets sucked in by the compressor section of the turbo-compressor. Due
to this, the air’s pressure rises along with its temperature. Then the charged air travels to the secondary
heat exchanger further lowering the air’s temperature. After passing through the heat exchanger, the air
passes through the turbine section causing it to spin. The turbine section is also where the air’s pressure
returns to near atmospheric pressure causing the air to cool drastically. The air passes through a water
separator and is then sent to the air mixing valves and humidified before being sent to the cabin.

Air Distribution

Air is distributed through ducts on

the floor and on the walls. For
individually seats the air is vented
through punkah louvres.

Vapor Cycle Systems (Refrigeration)

The vapor cycle system is similar to how a household

refrigerator and air conditioner works. A liquid called a
refrigerant is run through a line which is connected to a
compressor. The compressor compresses the refrigerant
which then increases its temperature. The refrigerant then
runs along and is channeled into a device similar to a
precooler called the condenser. Outside air, or ram air is
used to cool the refrigerant through the condenser, after
which the refrigerant travels towards an expansion valve.
The expansion valve releases the pressure built by the
compressor. Through this pressure change, the temperature
also changes. The refrigerant then travels to another device
similar to the precooler called the evaporator. Cabin air is
sucked by the blower and passed through the evaporator
cooling it. The cool air is then reintroduced into the cabin.
Indicators and Controls

The diagram on the previous page shows the

overhead panel of the B757 for air-conditioning.
Since the system is concerned with air conditioning,
the overhead panel contains multiple air
temperature indicator for the flight deck, forward
and aft of the cabin. The panel also contains
controls for the temperature of the sections. The
INOP indicator lights up whenever the air
conditioning system on a particular section is not
functioning, or if the pack is overheated or
experiencing errors in the automatic control.