Ice shedding detection methods for fixed-wing UAVs equipped with de-icing systems

What is it about?

This study addresses the issue of the high energy consumption of current de-icing systems developed for small fixed-wing UAVs. To reduce the effect of this issue, we propose two ice shedding detection algorithms that allow an electrothermal de-icing system to be turned off shortly after ice shedding has occurred (i.e., the lifting surface has been de-iced). Based on icing wind tunnel experiments, the results show that both approaches can produce accurate detections with an average detection time of about 2 seconds. Thus, making it possible to optimize the efficiency of a de-icing system.

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Photo by Jesse Bowser on Unsplash

Photo by Jesse Bowser on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In-flight icing is a severe hazard for small and medium-sized UAVs that can lead to problems ranging from reduced flight performance to complete loss of lift and subsequent loss of the UAV. Furthermore, in-flight icing conditions are fairly common in regions such as northern Europe, northern America, and mountainous areas worldwide. Detection of ice shedding events, discussed in this paper, can help us design efficient ice protection systems making them viable for smaller UAV platforms that are often constrained by weight- and energy-consumption requirements.