Performance calculation of electrothermal anti-icing system on three-dimensional surface

Abstract

The electrothermal anti-icing system is one of the commonly used ice protection systems. In this paper, the heat and mass transfer process on three-dimensional surface of the electrothermal anti-icing system is analyzed. The mass and energy conservation equations are given. A calculation method of the convective heat transfer coefficient on three-dimensional surface is proposed, and the mathematical model of the electrothermal anti-icing system is established. The model is applied to calculate the temperature distribution of the anti-icing system in different conditions. The numerical results are compared with experimental data, and the good agreement between them proves that the developed method is reliable. The results also show that only part of droplets impacted on the leading edge evaporate immediately, while the rest of droplets move downstream in the form of liquid water and evaporate gradually.