A comprehensive set of criteria for evaluating thermal management systems of aerial vehicles

Thermal management has become a significant concern in the design of advanced air vehicles. However, an effective evaluation method is needed when designers need to evaluate aircraft thermal management systems comprehensively. This paper proposes an evaluation method in which several evaluation directions concerned with thermal management systems (TMSs) are put forward to form an evaluation index system. The effect of temperature control, heat sink utilization efficiency, energy utilization efficiency, flight performance penalty, thermal endurance, space occupancy ratio, and economy are chosen as the direction of evaluation for TMS, considering its primary function, system performance, and impact on aerial vehicles. This method is comprehensive, intuitive, and user-friendly, along with the intensely subjective user-defined weight parameters, which provide rational metrics for thermal management techniques involved in aerial vehicles. The evaluation method could potentially be helpful for designers to comprehensively analyze the performance of aircraft thermal management systems and provide a basis for practical application. Two examples are provided to demonstrate the application of the method to evaluating TMS comprehensively.