Patent Application
20240327005
This application claims priroty to Indian Patent Application No. IN 202341022883, filed Mar. 28, 2023. The entire contents of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates to air data probes and sensors, and more particularly to ice protection for air data sensors on aircraft.
In aircraft, an icing component typically uses either an anti-icing or a de-icing system, depending upon the criticality of the part. Anti-icing systems keep a part ice free, e.g. for an entire flight. De-icing, on the other hand, removes the ice once it accretes on the part. Anti-icing systems are continuously powered during a flight whereas de-icing systems are activated only if the aircraft encounters inflight icing conditions. Examples of aircraft components that utilize anti-icing are piccolo tube heating for wing leading edges and air data probes, which are traditionally anti-iced by Joule heating using electric heaters. The pneumatic boots used at wing leading edges for propeller driven aircraft are an example of a de-ice application.
Air data probes are relatively high on the scale of critical comments for an aircraft to fly safely and they should be fully functional under icing conditions. So, typical air data probes use anti-icing system to avoid ice accretion on the more critical probe surfaces. The unprotected less critical probe surfaces such as aft struts can nonetheless accrete ice during inflight icing despite the anti-icing on the more critical probe surfaces. Severe ice growth on the unprotected probe surfaces, if allowed to continue long enough, e.g. on a flight long enough through airspace with icing conditions, can affect the aerodynamics which can eventually degrade the probe performance. One solution is to extending the anti-icing system to the aft strut to avoid the ice accretion while in flight, e.g. to maintain proper air data probe function for longer flights through icing conditions. This extra anti-icing increases the probe total power consumption in the flight cycle. Therefore, significant flight hours and multiple probes on a commercial aircraft collectively increase the engine fuel consumption to generate the additional anti-icing power required, or in electric/hybrid aircraft, the battery range will be reduced.
The conventional techniques have been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is an ever present need for improved systems and methods for ice protection for air data sensors. This disclosure provides a solution for this need.
A method of ice protection includes performing anti-icing on a forward portion of an air data sensor for a first duration while maintaining de-icing on an aft portion of the air data probe in a deactivated state. The method includes activating de-icing on the aft portion of the air data probe for a second duration while also performing anti-icing on the forward portion of the air data sensor.
Maintaining de-icing in the deactivated state for the first duration can include allowing ice accretion on the aft portion of the air data probe during the first duration. Activating de-icing for the second duration can include removing the ice accretion from the aft portion of the air data probe. The method can include repeatedly switching between performing anti-icing without de-icing and performing anti-icing while de-icing during a flight mission.
Performing anti-icing can include activating an anti-icing heating element situated in the forward portion of the air data sensor. Activating de-icing can include activating a de-icing heating element situated in the aft portion of the air data sensor. The forward portion and the aft portion can be mutually exclusive portions of the air data sensor. The de-icing heating element can be arranged in an aft portion of a strut of the air data sensor. The anti-icing heating element can be arranged in a leading edge portion of the strut. The anti-icing heating element can also be arranged in a pitot probe extending forward from the strut.
The method can include detecting icing conditions, wherein activating de-icing for the second duration is performed in response to detecting the icing conditions. Detecting icing conditions can include receiving temperature data from at least one temperature sensor of the air data sensor indicative of a temperature drop. Detecting icing conditions can include receiving electrical current data from an anti-icing heating element of the air temperature sensor indicative of a temperature drop. Detecting icing conditions can include receiving ice detection data from at least one dedicated ice detector aboard an aircraft that is separate from the air data sensor indicative of icing conditions. The method can include detecting cessation of the icing conditions, and deactivating de-icing for a third duration after the second duration in response to detecting the cessation of the icing conditions, while continuing to perform anti-icing during the third duration.
A system can include an air data sensor. The air data sensor can include a controller and machine readable instructions configured to cause the controller to perform a method of ice protection as described above on the air data sensor.
These and other features of the systems and methods of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.
So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an embodiment of a system in accordance with the disclosure is shown in
The system 100 includes an air data sensor 102 including a controller 104 and machine readable instructions 106 configured to cause the controller 104 to perform a method of ice protection as described below on the air data sensor 102. The machine readable instructions 106 can be digital, e.g. stored in a computer memory, or can be in the form of dedicated analog or digital logic circuit components or any other suitable form of machine readable instructions.
A method of ice protection includes performing anti-icing on a forward portion 108 of the air data sensor 102 for a first duration while maintaining de-icing on an aft portion 110 of the air data probe 102 in a deactivated state. The method includes activating de-icing on the aft portion 110 of the air data probe 102 for a second duration while also performing anti-icing on the forward portion 108 of the air data sensor 102. During a mission, the anti-icing in the forward portion 108 remains powered on full time, whereas the de-icing turns on and off as needed in the aft portion 110.
Maintaining de-icing in the deactivated state for the first duration includes allowing ice accretion 112 to form on the aft portion 102 of the air data probe during the first duration. Activating de-icing for the second duration includes removing the ice accretion 112 from the aft portion 110 of the air data probe 102. The method includes repeatedly switching as needed between performing anti-icing without de-icing and performing anti-icing while de-icing during a flight mission.
Performing anti-icing includes activating an anti-icing heating element 114 situated in the forward portion 108 of the air data sensor 102. Activating de-icing includes activating a de-icing heating element 116 situated in the aft portion 110 of the air data sensor 102. The forward portion 108 and the aft portion 110 are mutually exclusive portions of the air data sensor 102, e.g. separated by the dashed line in
The method includes detecting icing conditions, wherein activating de-icing for the second duration is performed in response to detecting the icing conditions. The method includes detecting cessation of the icing conditions, and deactivating de-icing for a third duration after the second duration in response to detecting the cessation of the icing conditions, while continuing to perform anti-icing during the third duration.
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Systems and methods as disclosed herein can provide various potential benefits including the following. Compared to traditional ice protection techniques, systems and methods as disclose herein have less power consumption in a flight cycle which reduces the fuel consumption and/or battery drain. The future air transport includes hybrid and/or fully electric aircraft. The systems and methods disclose herein can create a path to even use of a fully heated air data probe in an electric aircraft were power for heating is a major concern. Using an aft de-icing heater, useful lifetime increases significant compared to traditional systems due to the ability for reduced duty of operation during flight
The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for selectively de-icing a portion of an air data probe conserve energy while also full time protecting another portion of the air data probe with anti-icing. While the apparatus and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202341022883 | Mar 2023 | IN | national |
