What are aerospace coolant pumps?
A coolant pump’s purpose is to cool the engine of the aircraft or spacecraft by transferring heat away from the engine. This occurs by maintaining a certain temperature throughout the cooling system by circulating liquid coolant (usually liquid or gas) throughout the pump. Coolant is typically any substance used to regulate temperature. Depending on the needs of the application, pump designs offer optimal solutions that are typically placed on commercial airliners, military aircraft, and space missions (manned and unmanned).
Why have a coolant pump in the first place? Coolant pumps are used to regulate the excess heat that is released within the engine. If the high temperatures are not reduced, extreme damage can occur resulting in potential catastrophic events. The coolant pump is the most efficient way to solve this issue.
Centrifugal v Positive Displacement pump types
What are the main differences? A centrifugal pump uses fluid to transport fluids by a rotational energy source. Fluid enters the pump and is displaced by an impeller on a rotational axis towards a diffuser. This causes a rise in pressure and velocity while the fluid passes through the impeller. A positive displacement pump operates by trapping a fixed amount of fluid and forcing it into the discharge pipe. The trapping of fluids is done by two or three spindles moving in opposite directions to displace and create pressure.
Pacific Design Technologies Coolant Pumps
PDT's coolant pumps are designed for maximum reliability and continuous operation for long service life on flight-critical missions. PDT coolant pumps can be provided with a variety of additional features including pressure, temperature, and flow sensors, Interfaces for purging and filling, and fluid filters. PDT can supply liquid cooling equipment to fulfill cooling requirements ranging from 100 watts to over 60 Kilowatts using a variety of oil or water-based coolants.
PDT uses these inputs and information about the system and/or vehicle application to select the optimum pump for each installation. Pumps broadly fall into two types: centrifugal or positive displacement. Among each type there exist several variations which are selected based on variables including flowrate, pressure rise (head), operating fluid, fluid pressure and temperature operating ranges, and the available power source. Units are qualified to various RTCA-DO-160 and MIL-STD-810 fixed-wing flight environmental conditions to ensure the highest reliability and seamless integration with other aircraft systems. Opportunities for other considerations for the intended usage of the pump are available. PDT currently designs and supplies centrifugal pumps as well as gear and positive displacement pumps.