Numerical Analysis of Anti-Icing and De-Icing Thermal Systems

n aircraft flying at low-moderate altitudes can experience ice formation on its forward surfaces. The impact with super cooled droplets can generate a water film or beads and rivulets on a solid wall which in turn can freeze and cause the ice accretion. In order to protect the aircraft surfaces, an accurate knowledge of local and total impingement characteristics and afterwards of the ice shapes on a real aircraft component is the first prerequisite in designing a proper ice protection system. The present paper proposes a three-dimensional method to estimate the ice accretion on finite wings from its single section using a two-dimensional method. The method is based on the Lagrangian formulation which considers the gas phase as a continuum and calculates the trajectory of each particle in the flow as a result of convection action of various forces (drag, gravity) agents on the particle itself. Integral methods based on the Prandtl lifting-line theory have been implemented to calculate the effective angle along the wingspan and successively to calculate the thermal power necessary to avoid ice formation and accretion. It is possible to give the wing characteristics as a table of geometric variables or as a CAD. The comparison with experimental data drawn from literature points out a significant potential towards accurate prediction of ice accretion characteristics on real finite wings. Further investigations on up-to-date test cases are scheduled to fully validate the present metho