Aircraft de-icing
First Claim
1. In a method for de-icing aircraft surfaces by means of a plurality of electrical resistance heaters which are sequentially supplied with heating current, the delivery of current to each heater being effectuated during a succession of cycles each constituted by a heating period during which heating current is supplied to the heater and a nonheating period during which no current is supplied to the heater, thereby controlling the average current supplied to the heater, the improvement comprising controlling the duration of each period of a cycle by the steps of:
- measuring the temperature at the resistance heaters;
measuring the water vapor content of the atmosphere surrounding the aircraft;
adjusting the length of the heating period of each heater during each cycle as a function of the measured temperature at the resistance heaters; and
adjusting the length of the nonheating period for each heater during each cycle as a function of the measured water vapor content.
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Abstract
In a method for de-icing aircraft surfaces by means of a plurality of electrical resistance heaters which are sequentially supplied with heating current, the delivery of current to each heater being effectuated during a succession of cycles each constituted by a heating period during which heating current is supplied to the heater and a nonheating period during which no current is supplied to the heater, thereby controlling the average current supplied to the heater, the range of ice accumulation rates to which the de-icing process can adjust is enlarged by controlling the duration of the heating periods in dependence on the temperature at the resistance heaters and by controlling the duration of the nonheating periods in dependence on the water content of the atmosphere surrounding the aircraft.
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Citations
4 Claims
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1. In a method for de-icing aircraft surfaces by means of a plurality of electrical resistance heaters which are sequentially supplied with heating current, the delivery of current to each heater being effectuated during a succession of cycles each constituted by a heating period during which heating current is supplied to the heater and a nonheating period during which no current is supplied to the heater, thereby controlling the average current supplied to the heater, the improvement comprising controlling the duration of each period of a cycle by the steps of:
- measuring the temperature at the resistance heaters;
measuring the water vapor content of the atmosphere surrounding the aircraft;
adjusting the length of the heating period of each heater during each cycle as a function of the measured temperature at the resistance heaters; and
adjusting the length of the nonheating period for each heater during each cycle as a function of the measured water vapor content. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
- measuring the temperature at the resistance heaters;
Specification