A distributed electrically heated ice protection system

Abstract

The application relates to a distributed electric heating icing protection system and relates to the technical field of electric heating deicing of an airplane, and comprises a surface coating layer covering the surface of the airplane skin, an electric heating layer and a detection layer below the surface coating layer; wherein the electric heating layer and the detection layer are arranged in layers, and are both distributed one-to-one unit structures; the heating components of the electric heating layer of each unit are uniformly arranged; the detection layer of each unit is provided with a detection element for detecting the icing condition; and the electric heating layer and the detection layer of each unit structure are independently controlled by a controller. Compared with the prior art, the uniformity of heat emission can be improved, and the deicing effect is better.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of aircraft electric heating de-icing technology, specifically to a distributed electric heating icing protection system. Background Technology

[0002] Electric heating, as one of the active icing protection methods for aircraft, is widely used in the field of aerospace engineering due to its advantages of fast response, high controllability, and mature technology. By placing electric heating elements in key icing-prone areas such as the wing leading edge, tail assembly, and air intake lips, the controller outputs a set heating strategy when the aircraft encounters icing weather conditions. This regulates the surface temperature field distribution, suppresses the formation of critical conditions for ice crystal phase transition, and thus ensures the aircraft's aerodynamic performance and flight safety. Considering the limitations of airborne energy reserves, research on the high-energy applications of electric heating for icing protection is essential. Currently, with the continuous development of superhydrophobic materials and icing detection technology, icing protection methods combining electrothermal heating have been introduced, along with distributed multi-regional electric heating methods, which improve the controllable resolution of the heating area. Of course, the difficulty of electrothermal control increases accordingly, but the high-energy effect of electrothermal heating is significantly prominent. At the same time, with the continuous development of artificial intelligence technology, carrying out relevant research on distributed electric heating intelligent icing protection has important engineering practical significance and great value in exploring efficient icing protection methods for the development of high-efficiency electric heating anti-icing and de-icing systems, system optimization, and improvement of protection reliability under icing meteorological conditions.

[0003] However, the current heating structure hinders heat dissipation, resulting in poor de-icing performance and reduced hydrophobicity. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide a distributed electric heating icing protection system, which has the characteristics of improving the uniformity of heat dissipation and making the de-icing effect better.

[0005] One embodiment provides a distributed electric heating icing protection system, including a surface coating layer covering the surface of an aircraft skin, and an electric heating layer and a detection layer below the surface coating layer; wherein the electric heating layer and the detection layer are arranged in layers and are both distributed one-to-one unit structures, the heating components of the electric heating layer of each unit are evenly arranged, and the detection layer of each unit is provided with a detection element for detecting the icing condition, and the electric heating layer and the detection layer of each unit structure are independently controlled by a controller.

[0006] In one embodiment, the electric heating layer employs a graphene heating structure.

[0007] In one embodiment, the surface coating layer is formed using a hydrophobic material to create a hydrophobic surface coating layer.

[0008] In one embodiment, the electric heating layer includes a high-temperature heating zone and a low-temperature heating zone. The controller is configured to collect the temperatures of all distributed heating areas in the low-temperature heating zone and the temperatures of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone in real time. If the difference between the average temperature of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone and the average temperature of all distributed heating areas in the low-temperature heating zone is less than a first temperature difference threshold, the overall temperature of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone is increased until the difference is greater than or equal to the first temperature difference threshold. The low-temperature heating zone has a cross-shaped structure on the unfolded wing leading edge surface. The left edge of the "I"-shaped area of ​​the cross-shaped structure extends to the left edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the right edge extends to the right edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area. The upper edge of the "|"-shaped area of ​​the cross-shaped structure extends to the upper edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the lower edge extends to the lower edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area.

[0009] In one embodiment, the centerline of the "I"-shaped region of the "+"-shaped structure along its length is the stationary point line of the wing leading edge, the centerline of the "|"-shaped region of the "+"-shaped structure along its length is the centerline of the wing leading edge protection region, and the area of ​​the "I"-shaped region is smaller than the area of ​​the "|"-shaped region.

[0010] In one embodiment, the width of the "I"-shaped area is no greater than 30% of the height of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing, and the width of the "|"-shaped area is no greater than 40% of the width of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing.

[0011] In one embodiment, the width of the "I"-shaped area is not less than 20% of the height of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing, and the width of the "|"-shaped area is not greater than 30% of the width of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first temperature difference threshold is 30°C.

[0013] In one embodiment, the heating temperature of all distributed heating zones is not lower than 30°C.

[0014] In one embodiment, the maximum temperature difference between each heating zone in the high-temperature heating zone is no greater than 15°C, and the maximum temperature difference between each heating zone in the low-temperature zone is no greater than 15°C.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0016] Because the electric heating layer and the detection layer are arranged in layers, the problem of easily damaged heating structures due to uneven heat dissipation is eliminated, thereby further improving the de-icing and water-repellent effects. Furthermore, since both the electric heating layer and the detection layer are distributed one-to-one unit structures, the heating components of each unit's electric heating layer are evenly distributed, and each unit's electric heating layer and detection layer are independently controlled by the controller, allowing for more flexible control and increased control precision. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a distributed electric heating icing layer protection structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a concentrated hydrophobic structure according to an embodiment of the prior art;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the water-covered area that naturally forms after the ice is heated;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the position of the wing leading edge stagnation point line according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the unfolded wing leading edge electric heating de-icing protection structure according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the low-temperature heating zone in an embodiment of this application having a cross-shaped structure on the surface of the unfolded wing leading edge;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the concentrated overflow effect formed at the leading edge of the wing based on the embodiments of this application.

[0024] In the diagram: 01, surface coating layer; 02, electric heating layer; 03, detection layer; 0301, detection element; S1, region one; S2, region two; S3, region three. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to this application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of this application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0026] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can be rearranged or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are only for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0027] The serial numbers assigned to components in this article, such as "first" and "second", are used only to distinguish the objects being described and have no sequential or technical meaning.

[0028] To facilitate the explanation of the inventive concept of this application, the following is a brief description of the electric heating icing protection technology.

[0029] Taking the leading edge skin of an aircraft wing as an example, the current distributed electric heating icing protection system arranged on the leading edge of the wing includes a surface coating layer and a detection heating layer below the surface coating layer. The detection heating layer includes photoelectric detection elements for detecting icing conditions and heating components around them.

[0030] The applicant discovered in their research that, although the aforementioned structure also employs a distributed heating system, the photoelectric detection element itself does not possess heating functionality for each heating unit. It is primarily heated by surrounding heating components, with a small portion of the heat conducted to the photoelectric detection element to achieve weak heating of the skin at its location. However, under extreme operating conditions—namely, low temperature, high wind speed, and high water content—ice forms in this area due to insufficient heat supply. Furthermore, ice growth originates from this ice and spreads circumferentially, gradually obscuring the heated area. The ice acts as a protective shell for the localized heated area, hindering heat dissipation. However, with continuous heating and protection, gaps appear between the ice and the heated area. Continued operation of the heated area leads to excessively high temperatures in this localized area, potentially causing surface ablation. This results in damage to the heating structure, poor de-icing performance, and further reduced hydrophobicity.

[0031] In view of this, this application provides a distributed electric heating icing protection system. Because the electric heating layer and the detection layer are arranged in layers, the problem of easily damaged heating structures due to uneven heat dissipation is eliminated, thereby further improving the de-icing and water-repellent effects. Furthermore, since both the electric heating layer and the detection layer are distributed one-to-one unit structures, the heating components of the electric heating layer in each unit are evenly arranged, and the electric heating layer and detection layer of each unit structure are independently controlled by a controller, allowing for more flexible control and increased control precision.

[0032] One embodiment of this application provides a distributed electric heating icing protection system. Please refer to... Figure 1 It includes a surface coating layer 01 covering the aircraft skin, and an electric heating layer 02 and a detection layer 03 below the surface coating layer 01. The electric heating layer 02 and the detection layer 03 are arranged in layers and are both distributed one-to-one unit structures. The heating components of the electric heating layer in each unit are evenly arranged, and the detection layer in each unit is equipped with a detection element 0301 for detecting icing conditions. The electric heating layer 02 and the detection layer 03 of each unit structure are independently controlled by a controller.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that, without Figure 1 As limited by the embodiments shown, this application does not limit the hierarchical relationship between the electric heating layer and the detection layer. The layered structure can be, in sequence, a surface coating layer, an electric heating layer, and a detection layer, or in sequence, a surface coating layer, a detection layer, and an electric heating layer, all of which are within the protection scope of this application.

[0034] In some embodiments, the detection element 0301 can be a photoelectric detection element or a temperature detection element.

[0035] The detection and heating are separated into two independent layers, which effectively avoids the existence of unheated areas in the electric heating layer. Moreover, the distributed multi-area design can improve the monitoring of the situation in the area, and the feedback information can assess the overall icing or water accumulation of the area.

[0036] In one embodiment, the electric heating layer employs a graphene heating structure, thereby enabling more uniform heating.

[0037] In one embodiment, to enhance the hydrophobic effect, the surface coating layer is formed using a hydrophobic material to create a hydrophobic surface coating layer.

[0038] When an aircraft encounters clouds or fog, two situations may occur: surface icing or surface water accumulation. In the case of icing, the icing protection system needs to be activated for de-icing. However, after the electric heating is activated, the surface temperature will rise. After the ice is removed, the clouds and fog will impact the heated surface, resulting in water accumulation. The applicant found in the research that different surface temperatures can change the form of water accumulation, causing it to accumulate. In addition, the highly hydrophobic layer can guide most of the water backward with the help of aerodynamic forces.

[0039] The applicant found the following in the research: Please refer to Figure 2 In the current centralized drainage scheme, region 1 S1 is the drainage area, while regions 2 S2 and 3 S3 are the hydrophilic areas. Under this scheme, the overflow water is concentrated at the leading edge (region 2 S2) and the lower edge (region 3 S3) of the wing, thereby achieving centralized drainage. However, in this method, the overflow water covers the entire area of ​​the lower edge, resulting in a large overflow area when the overflow water flows from the lower edge of the leading edge of the wing to the trailing edge of the wing, which has a greater destructive effect on aerodynamic performance.

[0040] Electric heating systems perform de-icing or centralized dewatering by obtaining icing or water accumulation information from corresponding detection elements within a given area. De-icing involves heating areas with icing; after ice removal, the surface temperature remains high, and upon contact with clouds or fog, water adheres to the surface, facilitating centralized dewatering. However, current centralized dewatering schemes struggle to precisely control the overflow area, resulting in poor dewatering performance and significant damage to aerodynamic performance.

[0041] The applicant discovered in their research that by creating high and low temperature heating zones through distributed heating and controlling the concentration of condensate in the low temperature heating zone, the overflow of condensate can be controlled, such as... Figure 3 The "I"-shaped overflow area in the black region is a water-laden area that naturally forms after the icing is heated. However, this shape prevents the water from flowing out towards the trailing edge of the wing, thus hindering its drainage. If the low-temperature area were to form a "|"-shaped area, it would also be difficult to divert the overflow from the "I"-shaped area into the "|"-shaped area, especially with a large amount of water. However, if... Figure 2The overflow area setting method will result in a large overflow area when the overflow water overflows from the lower edge of the wing leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing, which will have a greater destructive effect on aerodynamic performance.

[0042] In view of this, in one embodiment of this application, the electric heating layer includes a high-temperature heating zone and a low-temperature heating zone. The controller is configured to collect the temperature of all distributed heating areas in the low-temperature heating zone and the temperature of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone in real time. If the difference between the average temperature of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone and the average temperature of all distributed heating areas in the low-temperature heating zone is less than a first temperature difference threshold, the temperature of all distributed heating areas in the high-temperature heating zone is increased as a whole until the difference is greater than or equal to the first temperature difference threshold. The low-temperature heating zone has a cross-shaped structure on the unfolded wing leading edge surface. The left edge of the "I"-shaped area of ​​the cross-shaped structure extends to the left edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the right edge extends to the right edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area. The upper edge of the "|"-shaped area of ​​the cross-shaped structure extends to the upper edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the lower edge extends to the lower edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area.

[0043] This ensures that even with a large amount of water, the water on the left and right wings of the "I"-shaped area can be guided to the "|"-shaped area, allowing the water to overflow from both ends of the "|"-shaped area. It also controls the overflow area when the water overflows to the trailing edge of the wing, thereby reducing the damage to aerodynamic performance.

[0044] The applicant also found in the research that, in order to further ensure that overflow water can be fully drained when the water coverage is large, in one embodiment, please refer to... Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The centerline of the "I"-shaped region in the "+" shaped structure along its length is the stagnation line of the wing's leading edge, and the centerline of the "|"-shaped region in the "+" shaped structure along its length is the centerline of the wing's leading edge protection area. The area of ​​the "I"-shaped region is smaller than the area of ​​the "|"-shaped region, to form a... Figure 7 The concentrated overflow shown. Among them, Figure 6 and Figure 7 The black areas in the image represent overflow water.

[0045] To reduce the destructive impact on aerodynamic performance caused by an excessively large overflow area when overflowing to the trailing edge of the wing, in one embodiment, the width of the "I"-shaped area is no greater than 30% of the height of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing, and the width of the "|"-shaped area is no greater than 40% of the width of the protective area deployed at the leading edge of the wing.

[0046] The applicant also found in the study that when the area of ​​the low temperature zone is too small, it is not conducive to the centralized discharge of overflow water. Therefore, in one embodiment, the width of the "I"-shaped area is not less than 20% of the height of the protective area deployed by the leading edge of the wing, and the width of the "|"-shaped area is not greater than 30% of the width of the protective area deployed by the leading edge of the wing.

[0047] In one embodiment, the first temperature difference threshold is 30°C.

[0048] To ensure effective heating and de-icing, in one embodiment, the heating temperature of all distributed heating zones is not lower than 30°C.

[0049] To further improve the overflow concentration effect, in one embodiment, the maximum temperature difference between each heating zone in the high-temperature heating zone is no greater than 15°C, and the maximum temperature difference between each heating zone in the low-temperature zone is no greater than 15°C.

[0050] The above examples illustrate the present invention only to aid in understanding it and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the principles of this invention.

Claims

1. A distributed electrically heated ice protection system, characterized in that, The surface film layer covering the surface of the aircraft skin, and the electric heating layer and the detection layer below the surface film layer; wherein the electric heating layer and the detection layer are layered and both are distributed one-to-one unit structure, the heating components of the electric heating layer of each unit are uniformly arranged, the detection layer of each unit is provided with a detection element for detecting the icing condition, and the electric heating layer and the detection layer of each unit structure are independently controlled by a controller; the electric heating layer comprises a high-temperature heating area and a low-temperature heating area, the controller is arranged to collect the temperature of all distributed heating areas of the low-temperature heating area and the temperature of all distributed heating areas of the high-temperature heating area in real time; the difference between the average temperature of all distributed heating areas of the high-temperature heating area and the average temperature of all distributed heating areas of the low-temperature heating area is less than a first temperature difference threshold value, then the temperature of all distributed heating areas of the high-temperature heating area is raised as a whole until the difference is greater than or equal to the first temperature difference threshold value; wherein the low-temperature heating area is in a "cross" structure on the surface of the deployed wing leading edge, and the left end edge of the "horizontal" area of the "cross" structure extends to the left end edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the right end edge extends to the right end edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, the upper end edge of the "vertical" area of the "cross" structure extends to the upper end edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area, and the lower end edge extends to the lower end edge of the wing leading edge heating protection area.

2. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 1 wherein, The electric heating layer adopts a graphene heating structure.

3. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 1 wherein, The surface film layer adopts a hydrophobic material to form a hydrophobic surface film layer.

4. The distributed electric ice protection system of claim 1, wherein, The center line of the length direction of the "horizontal" area of the "cross" structure is the stagnation point line of the wing leading edge, the center line of the length direction of the "vertical" area of the "cross" structure is the center line of the wing leading edge protection area, and the area of the "horizontal" area is smaller than the area of the "vertical" area.

5. The distributed electric ice protection system of claim 1 or 4, wherein, The width of the "horizontal" area is not greater than 30% of the height of the protection area of the deployed wing leading edge, and the width of the "vertical" area is not greater than 40% of the width of the protection area of the deployed wing leading edge.

6. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 5, wherein, The width of the "horizontal" area is not less than 20% of the height of the protection area of the deployed wing leading edge, and the width of the "vertical" area is not greater than 30% of the width of the protection area of the deployed wing leading edge.

7. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 1 wherein, The first temperature difference threshold value is 30℃.

8. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 1 wherein, The heating temperature of all distributed heating areas is not less than 30℃.

9. The distributed electrically heated ice protection system of Claim 1 wherein, The maximum temperature difference of each heating area in the high-temperature heating area is not greater than 15℃, and the maximum temperature difference of each heating area in the low-temperature area is not greater than 15℃.

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