Simulation analysis on efficiency of wing electro-impulse de-icing system

Electro-impulse de-icing system is an appliance which assures the safety of aircrafts in icing condition. It has some major advantages such as effectiveness, less energy consumption, stability, reliability, etc. From 80s of last century, many overseas institutions have been focused on the study of electro-impulse de-icing system, and much progress has been achieved. However, the domestic research in this field started relatively later. In order to study effects of different factors on de-icing result of a wing electro-impulse de-icing system, finite element models of the wing electro-impulse de-icing system were developed for a simple leading edge structure and different NACA airfoils. Based on the de-icing ratio of the electro-impulse de-icing system, the evaluation criterion was developed for the de-icing results of the system. Based on the finite element models, detailed numerical studies have been carried out to evaluate the de-icing results in consideration of different leading edge structures as well as the positions and the sequences of the impulse force with different magnitudes. The curves were established for the de-icing ratio of the system which changes with varying impulse force magnitudes. By analyzing the numerical results of different electro-impulse de-icing system models, it can be found that the magnitude of the double pulse is much less than that of the single pulse to reach the same de-icing results. The de-icing result of the airfoil with minimum relative thickness is best in the same conditions. The same results can be achieved with a proper impulse force sequence and a proper pulse magnitude. Based on the present result, the regulation has been extracted for the variable de-icing efficiency due to different factors. Some new research fields have been pointed out for optimizing the electro-impulse de-icing system. A foundation has been established for the design of a electro-impulse de-icing system.