Installation of Air Conditioning Pack into a Light Transport Aircraft: Design, Analysis and Optimization

Aircraft and their Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) interface designs are crucial for ensuring flight safety in the aviation industry. The aircraft houses essential systems such as avionics, flight control, hydraulic, electrical, and environmental control systems (ECS). The ECS system provides pressurisation and air conditioning, maintaining the required comfort level in the cockpit and cabin. The air conditioning Pack Unit (ACPU), consisting of a heat exchanger, cold air unit (CAU), and condenser, is a significant part of an ECS system. This paper presents a methodology for installing the ACPU into a typical light transport aircraft (LTA). The ACPU is attached to the fuselage and its components. The airframe’s ACPU interface has been designed considering functionality, Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)-23, safety, and manufacturing requirements. The material selection, sizing, and installation scheme have been worked on in great detail. 3D Modelling has been carried out using SolidWorks®. Design adequacy has been checked using SOM and FEA approaches. The FEA tools used are Altair Hypermesh®, OptiStruct®, and MSC Nastran®. The analysis process has revealed the scope for weight reduction, and optimisation studies have been conducted for each component. Ultimately, a weight-optimised design has been worked out. Altair OptiStruct® software has been used to perform size optimisation.