Patent ID: 6787744
Filing Date: 2004-09-07
Classification: B63J,B64D,F03D,F05B,H05B,Y02E,Y02T

Abstract:
A microwave arrangement for de-icing and keeping ice-free hollow body structure surface areas which are subjected to meteorological influences of the atmosphere and which include leading edges that are exposed to air flow and consist of one of fiber compound materials including at least one of carbon fibers, and glass fibers and other fibers with additives providing for some electrical conductivity, and a metallic coating, each of said hollow body structures being microwave-tight, said arrangement including:at least one power supply connected to an electrical source, at least one microwave source connected to said power supply provided for each hollow body structure, a hollow conductor connected to each microwave source for conducting microwaves to a predetermined area of a wall area of said hollow body structure for heating said wall area, said leading edges being divided into sections arranged adjacent one another and having surface segments of equal areas, said sections being formed between ribs, which extend normal to said leading edge and are firmly connected to said hollow body structure, said hollow body structures disposed side-by-side along the leading edge being sealed from each other in a microwave-tight manner by said ribs and spars, a hollow conductor uncoupling structure being mounted on said spars and extending therethrough for connection to said microwave source, the geometry of said hollow space and the frequency of said microwave generator being so selected that, in each hollow space, upon energization of the respective microwave source, an electromagnetic field in over-mode state is generated for supplying equal amounts of heat to the walls of said segments of compound material for their excitation, metallic double conductors of an electrically conductive material being disposed along the leading edge and along end areas of said surface segments up to the spar and interconnected with the respective cooling circuit extending along the microwave sources and the leading edge so as to form a closed cooling circuit and providing in one of the double lines extending along the leading edge end the ribs a counter-current flow, said cooling coil being disposed in a series coolant flow arrangement.