Pressure Vessels, Heat Exchangers & Tanks

Unison announces enhanced coolers

GE-powered Boeing 787 aircraft have Unison heat exchangers

Unison Industries recently announced enhancements to their conformal Integrated Fin Technology surface coolers. These unique heat exchangers are in service on the GE-powered Boeing 787 aircraft, and they were selected for Leap-1B and the new GE Passport engine. They will save customers thousands of dollars annually in specific fuel consumption (SFC) since they are of lower weight and produce less drag. An additional benefit to the new design is flexibility in cooler shape, since the heat exchangers are no longer limited to “box” configurations. The Unison surface coolers lend themselves to whatever shape best suits the engine flow contours on which they will be installed. Unison’s advanced heat exchanger technology is patented and patent pending.

Mike Grunza, president of Unison Industries, said, “We have been developing this innovative technology for several years and we believe we have only scratched the surface of what is possible with our Integrated Fin Technology. The continuous evolution of the design confirms that Unison is committed to advancing the technology.”

HIGHLY DESIRABLE
Unison surface coolers offer “always on” integrated oil de-congealing passages in their base. With this enhancement anytime oil is flowing through the system it is providing the warmth necessary to de-congeal oil in the core of the surface cooler after the system has been exposed to very cold temperatures for an extended time. These integrated oil de-congealing passageways are highly desirable features since the surface coolers tend to be long in circumferential length.

A second feature focuses on combining two or more heat-exchangers into a single assembly. This will be useful when both the generator cooler and engine lube oil cooler are located in close proximity. Since the manufacturing process accommodates such an arrangement, these features can be incorporated into Unison’s conformal Integrated Fin Technology surface coolers.

Grunza added, “Engines already in service are also excellent candidates for Unison’s surface cooler technology, and retrofitting to the Unison heat exchanger is a great opportunity to reduce weight and drag, reducing operating costs.”

Unison Industries is a leader in the design, manufacture and integration of electrical and mechanical components and systems for aircraft engines and airframes. It serves both original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket customers in commercial, military and general aviation markets. Unison’s headquarters is in Cincinnati, Ohio (US), and it employs more than 4,000 people in 15 manufacturing facilities and logistics centres worldwide.

It has a large and experienced engineering team that utilises the latest design tools and software including CATIA V4/V5, Unigraphics, Solidworks, Vismockup, Team Center UG NX2, PADS, and iMAN.  In-house test capabilities include acoustical, electrical, environmental, mechanical and EMI.