DEVICE FOR PROTECTION AGAINST ICING FOR AIRCRAFT ENGINES AND RELATED DE-ICING METHOD

• US 20090294593A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Jacquet-Francillon, Pierre, Chene, Gilles
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 244/134.00R
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 15/04 Hot gas application
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2033/0233 comprising de-icing means
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 7/047 Heating to prevent icing
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/28 Regulating systems responsive to plant or ambient parameters, e.g. temperature, pressure, rotor speed F02C9/30 - F02C9/38, F02C9/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/48 Control of fuel supply conjointly with another control of the plant with nozzle section control F02K1/17
• CPC Class Codes: F02C 9/52 by bleeding or by-passing the working fluid

Abstract

A device for protection against icing for aircraft engines including at least one sensor, sensitive to an amount of accumulated ice, arranged in the air intake of an aircraft engine, a system for measuring the amount and comparing the amount to be predetermined threshold and a triggering system for launching a response to the detection of the crossing of the predetermined threshold, the response may be an alarm, an increase in the engine power delayed by the engine control system or the return of hot air upstream of the engine.

Claims

1. A device for protecting against ice accretion in aircraft engines comprising at least one sensor, sensitive to an amount of accumulated ice, arranged in the air intake of an aircraft engine, a system for measuring said amount and for comparing said amount to a predetermined threshold and a trigger system intended to initiate a response to a detection of the predetermined threshold being surpassed, wherein the trigger system is connected to an engine control system comprising means for governing engine speed, said response comprising an engine speed increase delayed by the engine control system.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the trigger system is connected to an alarm device and/or to a device for displaying an instruction to increase engine speed on the control panel of the aircraft, said response comprising triggering an alarm device and/or displaying the instruction.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the trigger system and/or the engine control system are connected to means for measuring the temperature of the air intake of the engine and comprise means for managing the duration of the engine speed increase according to the temperature and the amount of ice measured.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of said measurement system and engine control system comprises storage means and computation means configured to accumulate the durations corresponding to the icing conditions and adapt the delay of the engine speed increase to said accumulation.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a surface probe built onto the surface of the engine subjected to icing and measuring an area of ice.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a vibrating finger probe subjected to the air flow entering the engine.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the trigger system is connected to a system for expelling and returning hot air onto the upstream part of the engine.

8. A de-icing method for an aircraft engine, wherein it comprises a step of measuring an amount of ice on at least one wall of an engine element, a step of comparing the amount of ice measured to a predetermined threshold amount and a step of triggering a response to a predetermined threshold being surpassed.

9. A de-icing method for an aircraft engine according to claim 8 wherein it also comprises a step of increasing the engine speed in response to a predetermined threshold being surpassed.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein it comprises a step of the engine control system delaying the engine speed increase according to the saved parameters that are representative of the duration of the icing conditions and the adaptation of the delay according to said parameters.

11. A method according to claims, wherein it comprises a step of returning hot air to the upstream part of the engine in response to a predetermined threshold being surpassed.