A new type of aircraft icing detection system

Area of Science:

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Atmospheric Science
• Materials Science

Background:

• Aircraft icing, caused by supercooled water drops, poses a significant flight hazard.
• Existing icing detection probes are insufficient for discerning severe Supercooled Large Droplet (SLD) icing conditions.
• Recent aircraft accidents highlight the need for advanced Icing Detection Systems (IDS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and flight-test a novel IDS capable of measuring ice accretion and atmospheric icing potential.
• To differentiate between common icing and hazardous SLD icing conditions.
• To enhance aircraft safety during flight in icing conditions.

Main Methods:

• Development of an IDS integrating a microwave resonator for ice accretion measurement.
• Incorporation of an optical unit to estimate atmospheric icing hazard potential.
• Flight testing of the IDS on a jet aircraft with comparative scientific measurements.

Main Results:

• The developed IDS successfully detected ice accretion on the aircraft.
• The system demonstrated capability in discriminating between common icing and hazardous SLD icing conditions.
• Flight test results validated the IDS's performance against reference measurements.

Conclusions:

• The novel IDS effectively detects aircraft ice accretion.
• The system can reliably distinguish between ordinary and hazardous SLD icing environments.
• This technology offers improved safety for aircraft operating in icing conditions.