DE-ICING SYSTEM FOR AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20110031353A1
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Wollrab, Uwe, Stolte, Ralf-Henning
• Granted Patent: US 8,857,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/207
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 21/04 for blowing
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/04 Hot gas application
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0607 providing hot air or liquid for deicing aircraft parts, e.g. aerodynamic surfaces or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0614 with subsystems for cooling avionics
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0622 used in combination with boundary layer control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2041/005 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/10 Drag reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells

Abstract

The invention pertains to a de-icing system for an aircraft with at least one heat source and at least one air delivery means for delivering air into regions of the aircraft to be de-iced. In comparison with the prior art, the invention is characterized in that the air delivery means is connected to an air-conditioning system of the aircraft for discharging air from the cabin of the aircraft via an air heating device, wherein the air heating device is connected to at least one heat source in order to heat the air from the cabin of the aircraft. The de-icing system according to the invention is able to realize a wing de-icing that not only fulfills an anti-icing function, but also a de-icing function on the ground without additional expenditure of energy. The function of the de-icing system according to the invention could also be advantageously supplemented by utilizing the cabin waste air for increasing the flow energy on the upper side of the wing in order to delay a change-over or separation of the boundary layer and to generally increase the lift or lower the resistance.

Claims

1. A de-icing system for an aircraft comprising:

at least one heat source;

at least one air delivery means for delivering air into regions of the aircraft to be de-iced; and

at least one air heating device, wherein the at least one air delivery means is directly connected to a pipeline system, the pipeline system receiving air from the cabin of the aircraft via the at least one air heating device, the at least one air heating device receiving heat from the at least one heat source in order to heat the air from the cabin of the aircraft.

2. The de-icing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat source is a fuel cell installed in the aircraft.

3. The de-icing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat source is an electronic device installed in the aircraft.

4. The de-icing system of claim 3, wherein the electronic device is a processing unit.

5. The de-icing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat source is a combination of several different or identical heat sources.

6. The de-icing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one air heating device is a heat exchanger.

7. The de-icing system of claim 1, further comprising an air outflow valve for discharging waste air from the cabin of the aircraft, the air outflow valve being positioned on an end of at least one wing of the aircraft.

8. The de-icing system claim 1, wherein the at least one air delivery means discharges air on the upper side of the wing of the aircraft in order to increase the lift, reduce the aerodynamic resistance, or both.

9. A method for de-icing an aircraft, comprising:

at least one air delivery means for delivering air into regions of the aircraft to be de-iced,

wherein the at least one air delivery means is connected to a pipeline system, the pipeline system discharging air from the cabin of the aircraft via an air heating device, the air heating device heating the air from the cabin of the aircraft with at least one heat source.

10. (canceled)

11. An aircraft with a de-icing system comprising:

at least one heat source,

at least one air delivery means for delivering air into regions of the aircraft to be de-iced; and

at least one air heating device, wherein the at least one air delivery means is directly connected to a pipeline system, the pipeline system adapted for receiving air from the cabin of the aircraft via the at least one air heating device, the at least one air heating device adapted for receiving heat from the at least one heat source in order to heat the air from the cabin of the aircraft.