Current Status and Prospect of Aircraft Ice Protection Systems

Abstract

Aircraft ice protection systems are applied to the window shield, engine inlet, and wings to protect the aircraft from ice that may form on the surfaces of aircraft and sensors during operation. Icing on the aircraft can cause serious accidents by degrading the flight stability of the aircraft and by malfunctions in sensors such as the air data probe. Various types of ice protection systems have been developed for aircraft in the past. The electro-thermal type ice protection system contributes greatly to improving energy efficiency in a relatively simple structure, and has established itself as one of most popular ice protection systems for modern aircraft. In this review, two representative ice protection systems-hot-air and electro-thermal types-were intensively analyzed, and the prospect of ice protection systems was discussed based on the current status and application cases.