ELECTRO-THERMAL ICING MITIGATION SYSTEM FOR POLYMERIC COMPOSITE AIRFOIL

Polymer composite materials are widely used in aircraft and wind turbine industries due to their high specific stiffness and strength. In this study the concept of an electro-thermal anti-icing system is developed using composite material. Controlling temperature distribution and minimizing energy consumption can be the main benefits of such an anti-icing system. The thermal behavior of a composite material, power consumption and the type of thermal system were characterized for designing the icing mitigation system. Constantan wires as thermal elements were embedded inside fiberglass/epoxy composite laminates, and the thermal characteristics of the system at specific power levels were investigated using thermocouples in a wind tunnel under room temperature and cold room conditions. When applying power, the surface temperature reached 50% of its final steady-state value in 20s. To obtain a relatively uniform temperature distribution and prevent the formation of cold spots on the surface, the maximum distance between the thermal elements was 1 cm. The temperature of different points on the surface increased with increasing power, and its trend was the same in room temperature and cold room tests. In cold room tests, a surface temperature above 5 degrees C was reached at the thermal elements and between them at 0.42 W/cm, which is sufficient to prevent ice formation in icing condition. This power did not cause thermal degradation of the composite material.