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Vapor cycle environmental control systems are being designed for efficient electronic cooling on advanced fighter aircraft. A vapor cycle system, employing a two-phase refrigerant, must be able to operate in a variety of attitudes in a variable-gravity flight environment. In order to verify operation of an agile aircraft's vapor cycle system prior to flight test, the Air Force is upgrading the Armstrong Laboratory's Dynamic Environment Simulator centrifuge. This paper will discuss the facility, the types of testing that will be used to simulate flight loads, and the design of vapor cycle components which will allow them to operate in a variable-G environment.

Vapor cycle refrigeration units are being developed for expanded applications on aircraft and future spacecraft. These units offer advantages in high efficiency, closed system operation, high flux cooling, close temperature control, and long-term dependability. This paper provides an overview of approaches to vapor cycle compressor design for achieving high reliability and long life. Different types of compressors are reviewed, and descriptions are given for new innovations such as magnetic bearings, variable speed motors, and magnetic couplings.