Aircraft Nacelle De-icing Embedded Band Configuration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing de-icing systems for aircraft nacelle air intake lips are prone to malfunction and damage due to ice accumulation, leading to performance issues and structural risks, especially during power failures or impacts, as they often result in large ice blocks forming and detaching, causing substantial damage.
Innovation Solution
A de-icing device with embedded electric bands that include rectilinear and bent elements forming spirals, allowing for continuous heating and redistribution of electrical current through transverse conductors, ensuring electrical continuity and minimizing ice aggregate size even during power failures or malfunctions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electric heating bands are applied on the outer wall of the air intake lip, then de-icing function is provided, but the heating resistor is subject to many impacts that can cause premature wear or malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The electric bands are embedded within the air intake lip structure rather than being applied on the outer surface. This nesting approach protects the heating elements from external impacts while maintaining the de-icing function, as the bands are integrated into the structural walls of the air intake lip.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a protective structural integration as an intermediary between the heating elements and the external environment. By embedding the bands within the lip structure, the structure itself acts as a mediator that absorbs and distributes impact forces, preventing direct damage to the heating elements.
2Reliability
If conductors are arranged in bands powered by different power supplies, then breakdown problems are limited, but blocks of ice appear on the entire length of the non-powered bands and can cause substantial damage
Solution Approach 1:
The air intake lip is divided into multiple heating zones with independent or selectively powerable bands. This segmentation allows certain zones to remain heated while others are powered down, preventing the formation of large ice blocks across the entire structure and enabling localized de-icing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Different zones of the air intake lip can be heated with different intensities or states (heated/not heated) based on local requirements. This allows the system to maintain critical areas free of ice while allowing non-critical areas to have ice form, thereby preventing large damaging ice blocks while optimizing energy consumption.
3Temperature
If ice accumulates on the air intake lip, then the zone becomes thermally isolated and temperature increases through heat conduction, but large ice blocks detach and collide with turbojet engine components
Solution Approach 1:
The heating bands are positioned and configured to preemptively prevent ice accumulation in critical areas before large ice blocks can form. By maintaining heated zones at the leading edges and critical surfaces, the system prevents the thermal isolation and subsequent large-scale ice formation that leads to dangerous ice block detachment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The embedded band configuration reduces the size of ice aggregates and maintains electrical continuity, preventing large ice blocks from forming and detaching, thus minimizing damage to the aircraft structure and ensuring consistent turbojet engine performance.
Implementation Method 1
An array of electric resistances is powered using a current created by electrical power supply members of the aircraft. These resistances are generally arranged in the skin of the leading edge or the air intake lip.
Implementation Method 2
the contiguous bands are embedded together at least in pairs... said bands comprise transverse conductors positioned periodically, said transverse conductors being able to redistribute the electrical current between at least two main conductors
Data Source
AI summary
A de-icing device for an aircraft nacelle includes two electric bands, and each of them is made from one main conductor oriented along a length of the band. In particular, the two electric bands have rectilinear elements and bent elements and are located on a same plane. Moreover, the two electric bands include spirals formed by association of several bent elements. Contiguous bands are embedded together in pairs, and the embedded bands are powered by different power supplies.