Narrowband De-icing via Interfacial Ice Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing de-icing methods are inefficient, indirect, and often require heating the entire windshield or surface, leading to slow and uneven ice removal, with additional issues like noise, weight, and environmental concerns in aircraft de-icing systems.
Innovation Solution
A narrowband irradiation system that directly injects radiant energy into the interfacial ice on a substrate surface, using semiconductor devices like LEDs or laser diodes to target absorption peaks of ice, allowing for efficient melting and release by turning ice into water at the interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional convective heating is used to melt ice on the windshield, then the ice will eventually melt, but the process is slow (3-10 minutes) and inefficient due to indirect heat transfer through multiple layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heating function from the bulk air stream and concentrates it directly at the ice-substrate interface using a localized heating element, eliminating the need to heat large volumes of air and reducing energy loss to the environment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a thin layer of water or ice-melting agent as an intermediary between the heating element and the ice, facilitating direct heat transfer to the ice interface and enabling rapid melting without heating the entire windshield
2Productivity
If the entire windshield is heated to melt ice, then ice removal is achieved, but the process is uneven and certain areas refreeze due to heat distribution issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heating locally at the ice-substrate interface rather than uniformly across the entire windshield, concentrating thermal energy exactly where needed to melt ice without creating hot spots or uneven heating in other areas
3Loss of energy
If embedded resistive wires are used in the front windshield for de-icing, then heating is more direct, but the wires are annoying and distracting in the driver's field of view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the heating element from the visible front surface (2D plane) to the edge or perimeter of the windshield, utilizing the third dimension (depth/edge location) to provide direct heating without visual obstruction to the driver
4Productivity
If traditional aircraft de-icing systems are used, then ice can be removed from wings, but the systems are heavy and have moving parts that require maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical de-icing systems (bladders, scrapers, moving parts) with a thermal field-based solution using localized heating elements that generate heat directly at the ice interface, eliminating heavy mechanical components and moving parts
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters by using high-temperature, short-duration heating pulses instead of low-temperature, long-duration heating, enabling rapid ice melting with minimal energy input and no moving parts
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
This method provides a fast, efficient, and direct way to de-ice surfaces by melting ice at the interface, reducing the need to heat the entire substrate and minimizing energy waste, while being lightweight and environmentally friendly.
Implementation Method 1
irradiation producing devices operative to emit irradiation that passes through at least some portion of the substrate so that a first portion of the ice that is impacted by the irradiation is an interfacial portion nearest a surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
selectively activated to effect irradiation, causing melting of at least some ice nearest the surface of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A way of using narrowband irradiation to de-ice or release ice from a surface is provided. The methodology can be applied to a range of different types of de-icing from windshield de-icing to aircraft wing de-icing to releasing ice from the ice tray of an ice making machine. While there are many different specific applications, the concept and methodologies taught remain similar across all of them.