Patent Publication Number: US-11649058-B2

Title: Ice protection system for a component of an aerodynamic system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/176,443 filed Oct. 31, 2018, which claims the benefit of Indian Application No. 201811025914 filed Jul. 11, 2018, which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of deicing of components of aerodynamic systems and more specifically to an ice protection system for skins of nacelles and control surfaces. 
     Safety is a primary concern in the design or power propulsion systems for aircraft applications. The formation of ice on aircraft wings, propellers, air inlets of engines, etc., has been a problem since the earliest days of heavier-than-air flight. Any accumulated ice adds considerable weight, and changes the airfoil or inlet configuration thereby making the aircraft much more difficult to fly and, in some cases, has caused loss of aircraft. In the case of jet aircraft, large pieces of ice breaking loose from the leading edge of an engine inlet housing can severely damage rotating fan and compressor blades which extend across the flow path and interact with the working fluid or other internal engine components and cause engine failure. 
     Many attempts have been made to overcome the problems and dangers of aircraft icing. Anti-ice systems for the inlet area of nacelles for aircraft propulsion systems have been the focus of a significant amount of research and development within the aircraft industry. For example, proposals have been made, to mechanically vibrate external surfaces to break ice loose or to generate electromagnetic pulses in the aircraft skin to break ice loose. These systems, however tend to be heavy and complex and to remove only existing ice, rather than prevent ice formation. 
     Heating areas of the aircraft prone to icing has been suggested many times. The heating schemes suggested range from microwave heating to feeding hot gases through holes in the skin, to resistance heating of the surfaces to actually burning fuel adjacent to ice-prone surfaces. 
     One of the most common anti-icing techniques has been the ducting of hot gases into a housing adjacent to the likely icing area. Typical of the patents describing such hot gas techniques are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,057,154; 3,925,979; 3,933,327 and 4,250,250. In each case, the hot gas conduits simply dump hot gases into the housing, such as the leading edge of a jet engine housing or a wing leading edge. While often useful, these systems are not fully effective due to the complexity of the hot gas duct system. 
     In addition, with known techniques, melted ice may shed as a water film, which may form ice runback downstream of the heater. The runback may shed into, for example, an engine core under aerodynamic forces. In a gas turbine engine, the runback may lead to core icing, component impact damage and engine flame out. On wing, runback ice may adversely affect aerodynamic shapes and thus aerodynamic performance. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
     Disclosed is an ice protection system for an aerodynamic surface of an aircraft, a surface having a flow facing side and an inwardly facing side that opposes the flow facing side, the system comprising: a perforated sheet configured for disposal in the surface; a heating source connected to the perforated sheet; and a suction source disposed to draw ice melted by the heating source through the perforated sheet and heating source. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the heating source is integral with the perforated sheet. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the heating source includes a drain hole extending between the perforated sheet and the suction source. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the ice protection system comprises a honeycomb support structure on an inward side of the perforated sheet. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the ice protection system comprises a water collector on an inwardly facing side of the honeycomb support structure. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the suction source is a pump fluidly connected to the water collector. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the ice protection system includes a rigid shell on an inward facing side of the water collector. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the ice protection system is coupled to a leading edge thereof. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the component is a nacelle or an aircraft control surface on a wing or empennage. 
     In addition to one or more of the above disclosed features and elements or as an alternate the component is a wing or empennage. 
     Further disclosed is method of preventing ice formation with an ice protection system on a surface of a component of an aerodynamic system, the surface having a flow facing side and an inwardly facing side that opposes the flow facing side, the method comprising: heating the surface with a heating source of the ice protection system, and providing suction on an inwardly facing side of the heating source with a suction source to draw water melted by heating the surface through the heating source into a water collector. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike: 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an aircraft that includes aerodynamic surfaces where embodiments of the present invention can be implemented; 
         FIGS.  2 A and  2 B  illustrate one or more components of an aerodynamic system with an ice protection system coupled thereto according to the disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a view of an ice protection system according to the disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is view of a portion of an ice protection system according to the disclosure; and 
         FIG.  5    is another view of an ice protection system according to the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the disclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way of exemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures. 
       FIG.  1    illustrates an example of a commercial aircraft  10  having aircraft engines surrounded by (or otherwise carried in) a nacelles  20 . The aircraft  10  includes two wings  22  that can each include one or more slats  24  and one or more flaps  26 . The aircraft may further include ailerons  27 , spoilers  28 , horizontal stabilizer trim tabs  29 , horizontal stabilizer  30  and rudder  31 , and vertical stabilizer  32  (the tail structure being collectively referred to as an and empennage) each of which may be typically referred to as “control surfaces” as they are movable under aircraft power systems. The leading edges of the wings and nacelles are especially vulnerable to the formation of ice. 
     Turning now to  FIGS.  2 A,  2 B and  3   , disclosed is a component  100  of an aerodynamic system, which may be for example a nacelle for an aircraft engine  20  or a leading edge of a wing  20  or any control surface thereon. Generally, the component  100  may comprise a surface  110 . The surface  110  may have a flow facing side  120  and an inwardly facing side  130  opposite the flow facing side  120 . The surface  110  may be connected to an ice protection system  140 . The ice protection system  140  may be, for example, used to dynamically prevent and/or melt a layer of ice  135  that may build up on the surface  110 . 
     The ice protection system  140  may comprise a heating source  150  that is flow facing and disposed in a protected zone for the component  100 , whereat the surface  110  is porous to allow heat to transfer therethrough. The heating source may be electric, though other sources of heat may be available depending on the location of the ice protection system  140 . For example heat may be obtained with air bled off the engine and, as such, can be referred to as bleed air. 
     A suction source  160  may be disposed within the surface and draw fluid from the flow facing side  120  to the inwardly facing side  120 . As illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the heating source  150  is closer to the surface than the suction source  160 . The suction source may  160  be a powered pump, though other sources of suction may be available depending on the location of the ice protection system  140 . For example, suction may be obtained by a conduit connected to a low pressure location in or around the engine. 
     In one embodiment illustrated in  FIG.  3    the ice protection system  140  on a flow facing side of the heating source  150  may comprise a perforated sheet  170 . In one embodiment, the heating source  150  is at least partially porous, allowing melting ice to travel between the flow side of the heating source  150  and the inwardly facing side of the heating source  150 . In one embodiment the ice protection system may include a drain hole  180  in the heating source  150 . The drain hole  180  may extend between the perforated sheet  170  and the suction source  160 . 
     Turning to  FIGS.  4  and  5   , in one embodiment the ice protection system  140  may include a honeycomb cell support structure  190 . The honeycomb cell support structure  190  may support the heating source  150  and perforated sheet  170  on its flow facing side. 
     The ice protection system  140  may comprise a water collector  200  on an inwardly facing side of the honeycomb cell support structure  190 . The water collector may collect water that forms from the melted ice layer  135 . Collected water may be used, e.g., for cooling purposes. 
     In one embodiment the ice protection system  140  includes a rigid shell  210  on an inward side of the water collector  200 . The rigid shell  210  may be a hard wall sheet that fixedly supports the ice protection system  140 . 
     Turning back to  FIG.  2   , the component  100  may be a nacelle or control surface of the aerodynamic system such as a wing, with the ice protection system  140  coupled thereto. However, other components of an engine or aircraft which may experience ice formation due to an exposure to airflow are within the scope of the disclosure. The surface  110  may for example an external skin at a leading edge of the nacelle  100 , that is, at an intake lip  220 , or a leading edge of a wing, such as on a slat. 
     The above disclosed embodiments may reduce/eliminate the runback of ice by draining the melted ice/water flow through the porous heater  150  on, for example, a leading edge or one or more deicing zones of the nacelle  100 . The disclosed embodiments may provide one or more drain holes  180  at, for example, protected and unprotected zones of the nacelle  100  to remove water film formed form the melted ice  135 . The one or more drain holes  180  may be provided with a porous heater  150  and an external suction mechanism  160  may provide drainage for the melted flow. The suction source  160  may be activated along with the heater  150  and drained water may be stored and/or disposed. The embodiments may provide reduction and/or elimination of runback ice, an improved aerodynamic performance, reduced drag and enhanced fuel efficiency. Moreover the embodiments may provide a reduced downstream heating requirements (power and wear) due to reduced water and ice contact on downstream surfaces in the engine. 
     The term “about” is intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, element components, and/or groups thereof. 
     While the present disclosure has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment or embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the present disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this present disclosure, but that the present disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims.