Innovative Cooling Technologies for FADEC Electronics

Gas turbine engines rely on internal controllers to achieve efficient operation over a wide range of operating conditions. These Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC) are located within the engines in an environment characterized by high temperature and high vibration. Cooling the electronic components inside the FADEC is a tremendous challenge. We propose to apply innovative thermal management technologies to control the temperature of FADEC electronics. In Phase I we will prove feasibility by developing a thermal model for an advanced FADEC cooling system and designing an optimal thermal management system. BENEFIT: Our thermal management system will improve FADEC and aircraft reliability. Applications include FADEC units for advanced gas turbine engines as well as thermal management systems for high power electronics used in commercial jet engines and electric vehicles.