Piezoelectric resonant ice protection systems - Part2/2 : benefits at aircraft level

Abstract

Piezoelectric resonant de-icing systems are attracting great interest. This paper aims to assess the implementation of these systems at the aircraft level. The article begins with the model to compute the power requirement of a piezoelectric resonant de-icing system sized from the prototype detailed in Part 1/2 of this article. Then the mass, drag, and fuel consumption of this system and the subcomponents needed for its implementation are assessed. The features of a piezoelectric resonant de-icing system are finally computed for aircraft similar to Airbus A320 aircraft and aircraft of different categories (Boeing 787, ATR 72 and TBM 900) and compared with the existing thermal and mechanical ice protection systems. A sensitivity analysis of the main key sizing parameters of the piezoelectric de-icing system is also performed to identify the main axes of improvement for this technology. The study shows the potential of such ice protection systems. In particular, for the realistic input parameters chosen in this work, the electro-mechanical solution can provide a 54% reduction in terms of mass and a 92% reduction in terms of power consumption for an A320 aircraft architecture, leading to a 74% decrease in the associated fuel consumption compared to the actual air bleed system.