Republic of the Philippines

PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

MIDTERM
LEARNING MODULE #01

AIRCRAFT
AIRCONDITIONING
SYSTEM

PREPARED BY:
ADONIS M. ESPINELI, MEAM

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

COURSE LEARNIG TOPIC LEARNING MODULE LEARNING

OUTCOME OUTCOME OUTCOME
CLO 1 To make acquainted TLO 1 Demonstrate the MLO 1 Categorize the
with the aircraft flow of bleed air inside the different sources of bleed
environment and auxiliary aircraft air-conditioning air for aircraft air
system. system conditioning system
CLO 4 To inspect, check, TLO 2 Discuss air-cycle
troubleshoot, service, and system component MLO 2 Demonstrate the
repair heating, cooling, air operation procedures. pneumatic system supplies
conditioning, oxygen, and TLO 3 Discuss Vapor-cycle the aircraft air conditioning
pressurization systems and system component system
air cycle operation procedures
CLO 8 Discusses their MLO 3 Analyse the cycle of
future role as Aircraft air inside the aircraft air
Mechanic and to have conditioning system
continuous interest for
safety awareness.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENT REF. NO. PAGE NO.
Cover Page 1
Learning Outcome 2
Table Of Content 3
Introduction 4
Air conditioning introduction 7
Pressurization and zones 8
Air conditioning functions 9
System lay out 10
1,2&3
Temperature control overview 11
Principle of cooling 13
Cooling pack description 15
Air cycle machine 16
Distribution 19
Honesty clause 23
Activity 24

References No.
FAA (2018), Aviation Maintenance Technician Handbook – Airframe, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Airmen Testing
1
Standards Branch, AFS-630, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City. Available from:
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/
Handbook for Aeronautical Knowledge (2012). Available from:
2
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/
Jepessen A&P Technician Textbook, General Handbook
Jepessen Sanderson Incorporated
3

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

LEARNING MODULE #01

AIRCRAFT AIRCONDITIONING SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION

Pneumatics deals with compressed or pressurized gas as a source of power. Energy is

used for:
• engine starting,
• cabin pressurization and air conditioning,
• wing anti−icing water reservoir pressurization, and
• Hydraulic reservoir pressurization on some aircraft.

You may find other systems and components that also work pneumatically, for instance,
air−driven pumps for hydraulics or air motors used for slat operation. In any pneumatic
system, air pressure and temperature need to be as constant as possible to support the
different consumers effectively.

Air Sources
On all jet aircraft there is a very good air source available. The engine compressor
provides enough air for combustion purposes and also for the pneumatic system. You
can see that the compressed air is bled from the engines, so therefore it is called
Engine Bleed Air or EBA. The engines are not the only source of air supply for the
pneumatic system. The auxiliary power unit APU is used to supply the pneumatic
system. The only built−in air pressure sources are the engines and the APU. If both the
APU and engines are not running we can assume that the aircraft is on the ground; if it
isn’t we have a very serious problem. If the aircraft is on ground, the pneumatic system
can be supplied with external air. This third air source can be delivered via connectors,
the High Pressure Ground Connectors.

Bleed Air Pressure Regulation

Here you have a very basic schematic of the pneumatic system. You can see the
engines, the APU, the High Pressure Ground Connector and the feed lines to the
consumers. Normally, it is the engines that are the main source of air for the pneumatic
system, but first of all the engines produce thrust to fly the aircraft. The engines have
variable power requirements. If thrust is increased pressure increases as well. Thrust
changes generate varying amounts of air pressure. However, this is undesirable as the
consumers of the pneumatic system require a constant predetermined level of pressure.
Therefore a pressure regulator is needed to maintain a constant level of pressure and
regulate the engine bleed air supply at high engine speeds. This pressure regulator is
known as the bleed valve. At high engine speed the engine bleed air pressure is
regulated. In a situation when the engine thrust is at idle a second engine bleed port is
used.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 1
Pneumatic system Schematic

The high pressure compressor comprises several stages and at every stage the
pressure is built up more and more. So if air pressure is bled at a lower compressor
stage through a bleed port then the bleed air pressure is lower and when it is bled at a
higher compressor stage then the bleed air pressure is higher. Because the bleed air is
bled from 2 compressor stages, the compressor stages are known in pneumatics as the
intermediate pressure, or IP, stage and the high pressure, or HP, stage. So in situations
where the higher pressure stage supplies the pneumatic system there is a check valve
to protect the engine compressor against backflow. For APU bleed air supply, no
additional pressure regulator valve is needed but a shut−off valve called the APU bleed
valve is used to provide or to shut off the APU bleed air and a check valve is used to
prevent backflow.

Figure 2
Engine Bleed Pick-ups

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Temperature Regulation

The temperature in the pneumatic system must not exceed acceptable values. You can
see that if engine thrust increases then temperature increases and vice versa. A built−in
precooler is used to cool the engine bleed air temperature. Cooling air is taken from the
engine fan duct. The cooling air is simply fan air. The cooling effect depends on the
mass and temperature of fan air.You can probably guess that in order to vary the
cooling effect, the mass of fan air must also be varied. A fan air valve is used to allow
more or less fan air to pass the precooler.

Figure 3
Temperature Regulation Components

Distribution
The pneumatic air is distributed via ducts. Depending on the location of the air ducts
they are known as the pylon duct, the left and right wing ducts, the APU duct and the
crossover duct or cross−bleed manifold. The cross−bleed manifold is usually located in
the fuselage and connects the left and right wing pneumatic ducts. A cross−bleed valve
is found to isolate the left from the right wing pneumatic duct.The pneumatic ducts are
monitored by a leak detection system.

Figure 4
Distribution Components

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Control and Monitoring

Control of the pneumatic system is achieved either manually via the pneumatic control
panel in the cockpit or automatically by the pneumatic controller.
The pneumatic controller is a computer with specified tasks. There is 1 pneumatic
controller for each engine bleed air system. The role of the pneumatic controller is to
monitor pressure and temperature, to register leaks and to monitor the operation of the
pneumatic components.

Figure 5
Control and Monitoring

Air Conditioning Introduction

Nowadays, aircraft fly at very high altitudes mainly for economic reasons. This presents
some problems, because humans are not able to live in this environment without help.
At an altitude of 40,000 feet the temperature is about −56° Celcius corresponding to
133˚ Fahrenheit. The air pressure is so low that there is not sufficient oxygen for human
survival. Therefore, the crew and passengers must be protected against freezing and
death. The air conditioning system makes sure there is correct pressure in the cabin to
support life and it also ventilates the cabin to keep the temperature in a comfortable
range. Now imagine an aircraft standing on the ground on a hot and sunny day with no
air conditioning. This would be uncomfortable and potentially life−threatening for
passengers on board. Also the equipment on the aircraft would be in danger of
overheating. In summary, we can say the air conditioning system cools and heats the
air. It also ventilates the cabin and pressurizes the aircraft at high flight altitudes.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 6
Air-conditioning Task

Pressurization and Zones

The air conditioning system supplies pressurization to the whole passenger
compartment, the cockpit, all the cargo compartments and the avionic compartment.
There are areas in the fuselage that are not pressurized and these are separated by
pressure bulkheads. Areas that are not pressurized are the landing gear bays, the
radome and the tail cone.

Figure 7
Pressurization and Zones

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

The aircraft is divided into several zones so that the cabin areas can be heated
individually. In this example of a B747−400 there are up to 7 cabin zones which are
named here with letters. Zone A is the first zone and is located on the main deck.
On the upper deck there is zone U/D and the cockpit is zone F/D. The number of zones
depends on aircraft size. For instance, on the Airbus A320 there are only 3 zones, the
cockpit, the forward zone and the aft zone.

Figure 8
Aircraft Zones

Air Conditioning Functions

The air conditioning system must make sure of 5 physical characteristics. It must make
sure that the air is:
•fresh,
•clean,
•at a comfortable temperature,
•at the correct humidity and
•at the correct pressure.

Figure 9
Requirements of Air Conditioning Systems

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

There are regulations relating to freshness on board. These regulations state that there
is a minimum of fresh air which must be supplied to the cabin.
These regulations are stated in the FAR and JAR which determines the basic
requirements for aircraft design. The regulations say that, on average, an acceptable
limit of fresh air to be supplied is 0.283 m3 per minute per person. This is about 0.35 kg
per minute at sea level. The regulations, therefore, make it necessary that the whole of
the cabin air be exchanged every 3 to 5 min., depending on the number of people in the
aircraft. This means, for example, that a B747, which has a cabin volume of nearly 800
m3 and 500 passenger seats, shifts a minimum 160 m3 of air in 1 minute.

The air must be clean. It must be free of all harmful or hazardous gases or vapors. Air
filters are fitted to keep the air clean and at high altitudes for extra protection ozone
converters are built in. The temperature must be in a comfortable range. Most aircraft
permit temperature regulation in the range of about 18°Celcius to 30°Celcius,
corresponding to 64˚ Fahrenheit to 86˚ Fahrenheit.

The humidity of the air on board an aircraft is a big problem. Humidity depends on air
temperature; the warm air holds more water than cold. Near the ground there is a lot of
humidity in the ambient air. The temperature regulation cycle causes the temperature to
decrease dramatically which results in water droplets. To prevent the freezing of parts
and valves and also to prevent fog and water droplets in the cabin, this water is
separated from the air. However, at high flight altitudes the ambient air is very dry, so
people feel uncomfortable on long−range flights.

The last function of the air conditioning system we have to consider is pressurization.
Pressurization has to be a compromise between passenger comfort and structural
design. The best condition for passenger comfort would be to pressurize the cabin to a
value which is similar to ground conditions. This would not be best for the aircraft. The
best condition for the aircraft structure would be no pressurization at all to stress the
structure. This, of course, would not be good for the passengers! The regulations state
that it is reasonable to pressurize the cabin to a value which corresponds to an altitude
of 8000feet (2400meters). We say that the cabin is in an altitude of 8000feet

System Layout

Here you see the principle layout of the air conditioning system. The air supply comes
from the pneumatic system. The air conditioning system starts after the pack valve.
The air is cooled by 2 or more identical packs. Basic temperature and humidity
regulation are carried out in this area of the system. The air conditioning system then
mixes cooled air with hot air to give the desired temperature in the conditioned
compartments. The air conditioning system also supplies the necessary cooling of
panels, batteries and electronic racks by ventilating them with air. Finally, the
conditioned air is distributed to the compartments. The cabin and flight compartment are
pressurized to supply a pressure corresponding to all flight altitudes. This is regulated
by the outflow valve.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 10
System Layout

Temperature Control Overview

In this lesson we will give you an overview of how the air conditioning system does the
temperature regulation. The air used by the airconditioning system is bleed air from the
pneumatic system. This pneumatic air is flow regulated by the pack valves, which are
therefore also called flow control valves. From the pack valves the air goes to the packs.
The air conditioning packs cool the pneumatic air to a basic temperature. The cooled air
then flows to a mixing unit. The mixing unit mixes the cold air from the packs with
recirculated cabin air. This is for reasons of economy, because you get the same airflow
in the cabin with lower pack airflow. The temperature of the air that leaves the mixing
unit is finally adjusted by a certain amount of hot air that comes from upstream of the
packs.

This hot air is also called trim air. You can also supply air to the mixing unit from an
external airconditioning unit on the ground. You connect this unit to a low pressure
ground connector if you don’t want to use the packs on ground. The temperature of the
air that is now delivered to the cabin zones is regulated in 2 steps. Pack controllers
regulate the temperature of the cold air that leaves the pack and a zone controller
regulates the amount of trim air that is mixed with the cold air. The zone controller
regulates the temperature by comparing the actual cabin temperature with a selected
zone temperature set by the flight crew. Each cabin zone has its own control loop. The
zone controller also defines the temperature of the cool air and sends this information to
the pack controller.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 11
Airconditioning System

The air conditioning packs, the valves and the mixing unit are located in the center wing
box area. The air conditioning controls are located on the overhead panel in the cockpit.
You will also find the indication displays in the cockpit. The pack and zone controllers
are located in the avionics compartment. The low pressure ground connectors are
located on the lower fuselage, accessible by a door.

Figure 12
Air Conditioning Compartment Location

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

There are 3 types of cooling device used on aircraft. They are the
• Heat exchanger,
• The vapor−cycle machine and the
• Air−cycle machine.

Principles of Cooling

Heat exchangers are very effective, but they do not have sufficient power to cool all of
the cabin air, especially on the ground. Vapor−cycle machines are used in aircraft when
engine bleed air is not available. The cooling principle is basically the same as in a
refrigerator. An expansion valve expands a special pressurized cooling fluid by a
specific amount. The special cooling fluid expands which results in the fluid becoming
colder. This cold fluid flows through an evaporator, which is a special heat exchanger
and is heated by the cabin air which flows across the evaporator. So the result is that
the cabin air temperature decreases.

The cooling fluid, which is now heated by the cabin air, changes its state from a fluid to
a gas. The special cooling fluid, which is now a gas, is compressed in the compressor.
This compression gives the gas a higher temperature. This hot gas flows through a
condensor, which is a special heat exchanger. In the condenser the special cooling gas
is cooled down by ambient air. It becomes liquid and the cycle starts again. You can find
vapor cycle machines on small aircraft with propellers, on aircraft without an APU and
on older aircraft.

Figure 13
Heat Exchanger and Vapour Cycle Machine

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Air−cycle machines use bleed air which comes from the pneumatic system. The air is
under pressure and hot. The hot, pressurized air flows into a compressor, which
increases the pressure and the temperature. The heat exchanger receives hot air from
the compressor. The heat exchanger has ambient air flowing across it. Heat decreases
but pressure remains equal. After the air has been through the heat exchanger, it flows
into a turbine. Here, the air which is now warm, but still highly pressurized, expands and
cools. This cold air then goes to the cabin. Air−cycle machines are driven by the turbine.
The turbine and the compressor are mounted on 1 shaft. These machines are used in
most jet aircraft.

Figure 14
Air Cycle Machine

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Cooling Pack Description

The function of the cooling pack is to cool hot bleed air to a value given by the pack
controller.
The cooling pack has:
•a pack valve, which is the tap of the pack,
•an ozone converter which is located upstream of the pack valve and
•a heat exchanger which usually has 2 units, the primary and secondary or main heat
exchanger.
There is also an air−cycle machine and a bypass valve also called temperature control
valve. The cooling pack also has a ram air system which has ram air ducts with ram air
inlet and exit doors and a fan. Cooling pack sensors sense the temperature in the pack
and these permit the pack to be controlled and monitored. There is an anti−ice valve or
sometimes an anti−ice function which eliminates icing conditions in the water separator
and so, of course, there is a water separator. The cooling pack has a pack check valve
which is located downstream of the water separator. The pack check valve prevents
backflow into the pack. Each pack has a pack controller which controls pack operation.

Figure 15
Cooling Pack Components

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Air Cycle Machine

Now let’s look closely at the air−cycle machine. Its primary components are the
compressor, the turbine and the fan. Hot pneumatic air flows from the pack valve to the
primary heat exchanger where it is cooled down. Air then goes to the compressor and is
compressed, increasing its pressure and temperature. The air then flows to the
secondary or main heat exchanger where the temperature is decreased, but the
pressure stays the same. The air then goes to the turbine where it expands, causing the
pressure and temperature to decrease. The air then goes to the cabin.

Figure 16
Air Cycle Machine Description

Bypass Valve

To adjust the temperature in the pack there is a turbine bypass valve built in. This valve
is also called temperature control valve in some aircraft types. This valve determines
the air mass to the turbine. The more air that flows to the turbine, the higher the turbine
speed and the more the cooling effect. The location of the bypass valve can change
with aircraft type. Sometimes, only the turbine is bypassed. If this is the case, a bypass
check valve is built in to bypass the compressor, so only part of the air is compressed.
Sometimes, you can find a bypass valve which bypasses the whole air−cycle machine.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 17
Bypass Valve

Ram Air

The temperature in the cooling pack can be adjusted by the bypass valve, but as we
mentioned before, adjusting the ram air flow through the heat exchanger influences the
efficiency of the heat exchanger and therefore the temperature in the cooling pack. The
heat exchanger has a cooling air inlet and it has a cooling air outlet. As ram air is used
as cooling air, the air inlet is named the ram air inlet or RAI and the air outlet is named
the ram air outlet or exit or RAE. Here you can see a different type of heat exchanger.
On this type of heat exchanger the principle is the same, but the airflow is different from
the other type.

Figure 18
Ram Air system

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Ram air is guided through ducts. The inlets and exits have adjustable doors. Ram air
door position affects the cooling effect of the heat exchangers. When the doors are fully
open the cooling effect of the heat exchangers is highest. Here you see the 2 types of
doors, they can be fully open, modulating and fully closed. Pack outlet temperature is
determined by the position of the ram air inlet door, the ram air exit door, and the
bypass valve. The ram air inlet is a naca−type air intake. The movement of the ram air
inlet door increases or decreases the size of the naca scope. This movement lets more
or less cooling airflow across the heat exchangers. The ram air outlet door is also
adjustable. It can be just a flap or it can be a louvre. Ram air inlet and exit doors are
opened and closed by electrically driven actuators. Potentiometers and limit switches −
normally integrated into the actuators - supply data for pack controller control and for
indication functions.

A fan is found in the ram air system because on the ground there is no ram effect. The
fan is usually mounted on the same shaft as the compressor and the turbine, so the fan
runs when the pack is operative.

Figure 19
Ram Air Inlet / Exit Doors

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

DISTRIBUTION

Mixing Unit

The cold air from the packs goes into the mixing chamber unit also called the plenum
chamber and is then distributed to the different zones in the aircraft.

The mixing unit is a large chamber, like a big duct which has ports for incoming air and
outgoing air.

The mixing unit lets the cold air from the packs mix with discharged cabin air. It directs
the mixed air through the primary supply ducts to the different aircraft zones.

Figure 20
Mixing Unit

Mixing unit location and output requirements are different on different aircraft types.
You can see here the location of the mixing unit on a small aircraft, the Airbus 320. It
only has 2 cabin zones to supply the forward zone and the aft zone. From the mixing
unit the air flows along the primary supply ducts that are located horizontally along the
fuselage. Then the air goes through riser ducts which are located vertically along the
fuselage. The air finally goes to the zones through the outlets in the cabin. The air for
the cockpit supply goes through separate ducts.

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Figure 21
Mixing Unit Location

Cabin Air Distribution

In this example of an Airbus the passenger cabin air distrbution uses primary supply
ducts that are located on both sides of the cabin under the cabin floor.
From the primary supply ducts, small riser ducts go between the windows to the outlets
above and below the hatracks.

Figure 22
Passenger Cabin Air Distribution

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Here you can see a distibution system that uses the same components, but has a
different layout.

In this example the air first goes through big riser ducts to the ceiling and is then
distributed by primary supply ducts.

Figure 23
Air Distribution

On some aircraft, the passengers have an individual air supply system. The passengers
individual air supply system, also named a gasper system, is below the hatracks. In this
system you can adjust the outlets to change the quantity and direction of the air. The
system is supplied by normal cabin air or an individual supply duct.

Figure 24
Passenger Individual Outlet

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

Recirculation System

As you have already seen the mixing unit also gets discharged cabin air to increase the
airflow rate to the cabin. This system is called recirculation system.

The system supports the airflow from the packs, so that the packs do not have to run on
high airflow each time. This reduces the operational costs of the aircraft.

When the recirculation system is on there is an airflow through the mixing unit and
through the cabin.

The recirculation fans suck discharged cabin air from the underfloor area, clean it with
filters and feed it back into the mixing unit.

Figure 25
Recirculation system

Here you can see the location of the main components of a typical recirculation system
and what they look like: the air filters, the electrical recirculation fans and the check
valves that prevent a reverse airflow to the underfloor area.

Figure 26
Recirculation System
Components

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 Republic of the Philippines
PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

HONESTY CLAUSE

My signature below constitutes my pledge that all of the writing is my own work, with the
exception of those portions, which are properly documented.

________________________ _____________________

Students Name and Signature Parent/Guardian Signature

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PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Piccio Garden, Villamor, Pasay City

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

(You have 30 minutes to complete this task.)

Paper Assignment: research about the difference between air cycle and vapor cycle air
conditioning base on their operation.

ENRICHMENT EXERCISE

(You have 30 minutes to complete this task.)

Create a diagram that shows how aircraft air conditioning system works.

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