Flight returns because of cabin air conditioning fault
An Air Malta flight to Brussels returned to Malta today because of a cabin air conditioning fault, informed sources said.
The flight departed Malta at 4 p.m. but the pilot opted to return after detecting the fault when the plane was over Licata, Sicily.
The flight is expected to take off again at 6 p.m.
An Air Malta spokesman was not immediately available.
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Jesmond Micallef
Mar 2nd 2011, 18:55
Interesting. Probably by then the aircraft had already reached cruise altitude which is much above the usual cabin altitude of 8,000 ft. Who knows maybe it was an "over temperature" or "pressurisation" problem of some sort ?
Pressurised Passenger aircraft such as the Airbus A320 series aircraft make use of what is called an Air Cycle Machine (ACM) within its air conditioning system. The Airbus has two ACM's. These devices are driven by a pressurised flow of air taken off the aircraft's engine compressor, known as Bleed Air. This bleed air is then routed through a compressor, an intercooler and expanded through a turbine. The air is cooled down to a pre set value and then fed into the passenger cabin for pressurisation. Some form of Pressurisation Control controls the pressurisation gradient as the aircraft climbs to cruising altitude but also when descending to landing. The control loop maintains the cabin at an altitude of 8,000 ft when the aircraft is flying say at 36,000 ft. The changes in cabin pressure can usually be sensed through the ears as the aircraft climbs or descends.
http://thisisecs.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/3-wheel-anim.gif
The schematic of the Airbus A320 CFM 56-5 engine is linked below:
http://www.hursts.eclipse.co.uk/airbus-technical/images/cfm565b-90dpi.png
Jonathan Cole
Jul 18th 2011, 11:55
copy paste?, who knows maybe a problem with packs
Jesmond Micallef
Jul 18th 2011, 18:01
That's traditional basic aircraft technology easily found all over the internet, (see the links). The use of the english language is totally my own, literally. No plagiarism at all.
Furthermore, readers should perhaps note that the new Boeing B787 does not utilise "Bleed Air". Here, read this extract from the Wikipedia article about the Boeing B787.
"The internal pressure will be increased to the equivalent of 6,000 feet (1,800 m) altitude instead of the 8,000 feet (2,400 m) on conventional aircraft. According to Boeing, in a joint study with Oklahoma State University, this will significantly improve passenger comfort. A higher cabin pressure is possible in part because of better properties of composite materials. Higher humidity in the passenger cabin is possible because of the use of composites, which do not corrode. Cabin air is provided by electrically driven compressors using no engine-bleed air. An advanced cabin air-conditioning system provides better air quality: Ozone is removed from outside air; HEPA filters remove bacteria, viruses, and fungi; and a gaseous filtration system removes odors, irritants, and gaseous contaminants"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_787_Dreamliner
The word "packs" is a commonly used term in the aircraft maintenance industry in describing the ACM system on the aircraft.