Aerodynamic effects of aircraft ground deicing/anti-icing fluids

Abstract

This article presents the results of flight and wind-tunnel investigations of the aerodynamic effects of aircraft ground deicing/anti-icing fluids on a Boeing 737-200ADV. The flight tests were performed in Kuopio, Finland, and the wind-tunnel tests were performed at the NASA Lewis Research Center Icing Research Wind Tunnel (IRT). Both types of commonly used fluids, those characterized by Newtonian and nonNewtonian viscosity behavior, were evaluated. Results of the tests indicate that the fluids remain on aircraft surfaces until well after liftoff and may cause measurable lift loss and drag increase, depending on the temperature, dilution, and specific characteristics of each fluid. A secondary wave of fluid which occurred at takeoff rotation was observed. Capillary wave action within the secondary wave is considered to be the source of the fluid's adverse aerodynamic effects at high angles of attack. Wind-tunnel testing and computational fluid dynamics analysis indicate that the fluid effects are airplane configuration dependent. This article also describes how results from these tests, other data, and airplane performance analyses were used to define an aerodynamic acceptance test for the fluids.