MD11 FLT CREW SHUTS DOWN #2 ENG DUE TO 'AI' DUCT OVERHEAT; DECLARES AN EMER; AND RETURNS TO DEP ARPT.

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MAX PWR TKOF REQUIRED. #2 ENG NOSE COWL A/I WAS DEFERRED INOP (OPEN). FO SERVING AS PF. AT APPROX 5000 FT MSL TO 8000 FT MSL AT CLB PWR IN THE CLEAN CONFIGN. LEVEL 3 ALERT (#2 A/I DUCT OVERHEAT) ILLUMINATED. ACFT WAS STABILIZED. QRH PHASE 1 PROC WAS PERFORMED. AS THROTTLE #2 WAS RETARDED TO IDLE; THE LEVEL 3 ALERT STOPPED. QRH GIVES NO RELIEF. WE LEVELED BTWN 10000 FT AND 11000 FT. #2 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN BY DIRECTION. WE INFORMED DEP OF OUR NEED TO RETURN. NO FUEL WAS DUMPED. RETURN TO ZZZ WAS IMMEDIATELY INITIATED. DISCRETIONARY DSCNT WAS IMMEDIATELY GRANTED. SIT REQUIRING OUR RETURN AND INFO ABOUT THE ENG SHUTDOWN WAS COMMUNICATED WITH ATC IN THE DOWNWIND AT APPROX 6000 FT MSL; ALONG WITH OUR REQUEST FOR EMER EQUIP FOR THE LNDG; AND A REQUEST FOR RWY 18C. WE 'TESTED' THE FIRE WARNING SYS PRIOR TO BEGINNING THE APCH. ALL SYS TESTED NORMAL; MEANING THE DETECTION SYS WERE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. VECTORS WERE TAKEN UNTIL ALL OUR CHKLISTS; ACARS COM AND DUTIES STABILIZED. TURNED TOWARD THE LOC. VISUAL REF TO THE RWY WAS MAINTAINED FOR A 14 MI FINAL. CAPT ASSUMED THE CTLS AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. CLRING THE RWY; FIRE TRUCKS INSPECTED OUR TAIL SECTION. THEY SAW NO INDICATION OF ANY FIRE OR SCORCHING ON THE TAIL AREA. ONE TRUCK FOLLOWED US TO PARKING.