Method and device for detecting rime and/or rime conditions on a flying aircraft
First Claim
1. A method of detecting frost and/or frosty conditions on an aircraft in flight, on which at least one free external surface, exposed to an aerodynamic flow around the aircraft, on a skin of one of the aircraft a probe projecting from the aircraft into the aerodynamic flow, is reserved as a detection-sensitive surface, on which a build-up of frost or ice is likely to be formed in flight in frosty conditions, the method including at least one cycle with at least the following steps, comprising:
- monitoring variations of a thermal flux between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow, which are caused by variations of a forced convection thermal exchange coefficient between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow according to a build-up of frost or ice,considering that the aerodynamic flow has caused a film of frost or ice formed on said sensitive surface to tear off if, after a time interval during which a slow or substantially zero reduction of said thermal flux is observed, an abrupt increase is detected in said thermal flux at a temperature close to the melting point of the frost or ice, andfollowing a detection of a tearing-off of frost or ice, delivering a signal indicating the presence of frost or frosty conditions.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
According to the invention, the method comprises exposing a surface (3) sensitive to relative wind and monitoring the thermal flow variations between the surface (3) and the aerodynamic flow, said variations resulting from that of the forced-convection thermal exchange coefficient between the surface (3) and the aerodynamic flow depending on the rime or ice build-up, using the temperature sensor (12) under the surface (3), considering that stripping occurs by the flow of an ice layer formed on the surface (3) if it is detected, preferably after heating by at least one heater (4), that there is a brisk rise of the flow at a temperature close to 0° C., and supplying after the detection of ice stripping, a signal indicating the presence of rime or rime conditions. A cooler (5) may cool the surface (3) for anticipating the formation of ice with a heating process. The invention can be used for detecting rime and/or rime conditions on a flying aircraft.
28 Citations
12 Claims
-
1. A method of detecting frost and/or frosty conditions on an aircraft in flight, on which at least one free external surface, exposed to an aerodynamic flow around the aircraft, on a skin of one of the aircraft a probe projecting from the aircraft into the aerodynamic flow, is reserved as a detection-sensitive surface, on which a build-up of frost or ice is likely to be formed in flight in frosty conditions, the method including at least one cycle with at least the following steps, comprising:
-
monitoring variations of a thermal flux between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow, which are caused by variations of a forced convection thermal exchange coefficient between said sensitive surface and the aerodynamic flow according to a build-up of frost or ice, considering that the aerodynamic flow has caused a film of frost or ice formed on said sensitive surface to tear off if, after a time interval during which a slow or substantially zero reduction of said thermal flux is observed, an abrupt increase is detected in said thermal flux at a temperature close to the melting point of the frost or ice, and following a detection of a tearing-off of frost or ice, delivering a signal indicating the presence of frost or frosty conditions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
Specification