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The problem of icing can be caused by flight through clouds containing super
cooled water droplets or during ground operation in conditions of high humidity and
air temperature close to freezing.
An engine needs protection against ice forming at the front of the engine and on the
leading edge of the intake duct. Ice formation in these areas can restrict the airflow
through the engine, which will affect performance and possibly cause malfunction,
and, due to the ice breaking away, compressor damage. Engines that ingest large
lumps of ice can suffer what is termed ‘catastrophic failure’ to the fan and to the
compressor(s).
An ice protection system must be effective in preventing ice formation within the
operational requirements of the aircraft, with no serious loss in engine performance
when in operation. It should be reliable, easy to maintain without excessive weight.
Ant-icing:
A system that is used to prevent the formation of ice is known as an anti-icing
system and hot air systems are generally used in this way.
De-icing:
A system that is used to break up ice that has already formed is known as a de-icing
system. An example is the use of electrical power system on the propellers.
Turbo props using electrical power or a combination of electrical power and hot air,
and turbo jets generally using hot air. The system may be supplemented by the use
of hot oil from the engine circulating around the intake or through intake struts.
Where ice is likely to form on the engine/power plant it is surface heated by the hot
air system. The parts that are affected are the engine intake, the inlet guide vanes,
the nose cone, the leading edge of the nose cowl sometimes the first stage stator
blades. The rotor blades rarely require protection as any ice formation is dispersed
by centrifugal force.
The hot air used in the anti-icing system is normally taken from compressor delivery
and piped or ducted externally through control and pressure regulating valves to the
area requiring anti-icing. When the nose cowl requires anti-icing, the hot air used
for intake anti-icing may be collected and ducted to the nose cowl. The air is then
exhausted into the compressor intake or through a vent to atmosphere, thus a
constant flow of air is maintained through the system.
In order to reduce the possibility of ice formation, the temperature of the metal at the
lip of the intake needs to be raised to above 0°C – the temperature at which ice
melts.
The metal can be heated by several methods – electrical, hot oil or hot air.
Hot oil is popular on some small turboshaft and turbopropeller engines where the oil
that is to be cooled at the oil cooler can be passed around the lip of the intake first
thus cooling the oil and warming the intake.
The most common method is to use a parasitic bleed of air from the engine.
Compressor delivery air is tapped off and passed to the intake where it warms the
metal before being dumped into the engine. The warm air entering the intake will
reduce the mass flow of air into the engine but, with the air being cold, the reduction
in thrust/power will not be adverse although it will be measurably significant.
Thermal Anti-Icing (TAI) is used on nearly all modern engines and a supply is also
tapped off to use on the engine intake as well as the airframe intake lip especially
where the engine intake uses intake support struts which could promote a low
enough pressure to induce icing with the aircraft static and during take-off/landing.
The nacelle anti-icing pneumatic ducting will be identical for each engine. The
engine bleed air is taken from the pylon duct in the strut and the bleed air is
regulated between 20 and 25 psi, by the anti-icing control valve. The anti-icing is
controlled by the appropriate engine switch on the nacelle anti-ice module.
.
The stator vane anti-ice system provides a supply of bleed air to the 1st stage stator
vanes (inlet vanes of front compressor). This hot air supply prevents any ice
accumulation building up.
System Components
A typical stator vane anti-ice system consists of a stator vane anti-ice valve, anti-ice
tubes and a valve open light for each engine. The stator vane anti-ice system and
the nacelle thermal anti-ice system are operated simultaneously. A common switch
on the pilots' overhead panel controls the air shutoff valves for both systems.
The piston type actuator consists of a potted switch, a solenoid assembly, and a
pneumatic piston-type valve. The actuator is bolted to the valve and operates the
valve shaft.
Distribution
With the stator vane anti-ice valve in the open position, the anti-icing air passes
through the external anti-ice tubes into a sealed area between the front compressor
and the fan exit fairing. The anti-icing air enters the 1st stage stator vanes through
openings at the outer ends of the vanes. Passing through the vanes, the anti-icing
air melts the ice that has accumulated on the vanes and prevents any further ice
formation. The anti-icing air then emerges into the primary air stream through
exit holes on the aft side of the vanes.
This type of system is generally used for turbo-prop installations as this form of ice
protection is necessary for propeller. The surfaces that require to be heated
electrically are the air intake cowling of the engine, the propeller blades and spinner
and on some installations the oil cooler intake cowling.
Electrical heating pads are bonded to the surfaces where required, consisting of
electrical elements sandwiched between layers of neoprene, or glass cloth
impregnated with epoxy resin. The pads are protected against rain erosion by a
polyurethane based paint coating.
When the de-icing system is in operation, some areas are continuously heated to
prevent an ice cap forming on the leading edges and also to limit the size of ice on
the areas that are intermittently heated.
Electrical power is supplied by the generator and to keep the size and weight of the
generator to a minimum, the de-icing electrical loads are cycles between the
engine, propeller and sometimes the airframe.
A two speed cycling system is often used to accommodate propeller and spinner
requirements, ie. a fast cycle at high air temperatures when the water content is
usually greater and a slow cycle in the lower temperature range.