Abstract
Anti-icing with low-energy consumption has important research value for unmanned aerial vehicles. In this study, a superhydrophobic electrothermal film for anti-icing applications was designed and prepared, and power consumption experiments were conducted at different temperatures and wind speeds in an icing wind tunnel. The anti-icing power consumption of the superhydrophobic electrothermal film was lower than that of a traditional electrothermal film. As the temperature decreased or the wind speed increased, the anti-icing power consumption of the two types of electrothermal films increased. A heat flux model was used to analyse the experimental results. It can be concluded that the water collection rate per unit area W and wetting coefficient ξ w are the main factors affecting the power consumption of the superhydrophobic electrothermal film. When the temperature decreased and the wind speed increased, the contact time and contact area between the droplet and the surface affected W and ξ w . Thus, this study is of considerable significance for the design of superhydrophobic electrothermal films for novel anti-icing applications in the future.
Highlights
Aircraft icing seriously endangers flight safety, when ice accretions form on the wing surface [1]
This study mainly investigates the variation in the antiicing power of superhydrophobic electrothermal films under different temperatures and wind speeds
An ordinary electrothermal film and the superhydrophobic electrothermal film were tested under the same conditions to compare their anti-icing performances
Summary
Aircraft icing seriously endangers flight safety, when ice accretions form on the wing surface [1]. Traditional aircraft anti-icing technologies mainly include pneumatic pipes, spraying anti-icing fluids, gas thermal heating, and electrothermal heating. The gas thermal anti-icing method uses hot air to heat aircraft components to achieve an anti-icing effect. This reduces the efficiency of the engine to a certain extent [5]. The electrothermal anti-icing method converts electric energy into thermal energy to heat the aircraft skin or its components, thereby preventing ice formation. Researchers have observed that superhydrophobic surfaces have good anti-icing properties.
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