In WP1, initially the flight conditions and wing geometry of the regional aircraft were defined. The first step of analysis was to study which part of the aircraft wing needs to be protected during an icing encounter.The beneficiaries ATX and AIT analyzed the impingement of supercooled water droplets on the main wing with respect to an extensive set of aircraft flight conditions and the related icing conditions (as specified in CS-25 Appendix C for atmospheric icing conditions and in Appendix O for Supercooled Large Drop icing conditions) by means of numerical simulation applying in-house and commercial flow solvers. Some hundred simulations needed to be performed to identify the impingement limits on the upper and lower wing surfaces. From them, a first estimate of the wing extension that needs to be protected from icing was deduced.
Thermal analysis at the coldest and warmest conditions was performed by ATX for an initial leading-edge composite structure and material layup to obtain first estimates of the maximum total power demand of the WIPS, the maximum internal structural temperature and water runback. The feasibility of a pure de-icing system with low power demand by removing the always powered parting strip was studied. The first system concept was developed, including the distribution and maximum electrical power density of the heater elements, a basic structure of the WIPS control laws (developed by ATX) and power electronics (developed by AIT).
In WP2, a concept for a morphing leading-edge structure was introduced and InSPIRe adapted its initial IPS concept to integrate its main characteristics. A concept to integrate the heater layer into a composite LE structure was developed by the beneficiaries PEAK and VILL and a first prototype has been built to test its manufacturing. The VILL heater layer technology is a carbon based (non-CNT), lightweight, elastic, thin, polymer coating with high power density, up to 120 kW/m², that can be integrated into composite structures and is easily applicable to 3D surfaces. It is tested according to DO-160G, is REACH compliant and has been already tested in the icing wind tunnel (IWT) and in-flight conditions for wing and rotor configurations.
In WP3, the WIPS system design was refined and finalized, both in terms of heater definition (zoning, scheduling, power required) and integration into the leading edge. The ice protection performance placed the focus on a solution without a parting strip to minimize the power requirement. Development testing on coupons was performed to validate the WIPS system for aeronautically relevant environmental conditions, EMC, electrical integration, and mechanical characterization. The heater layer integration concept was revised and integrated into the WIPS system concept and demonstrator design. The structural design of the demonstrator was developed by the beneficiary PEAK including the the leading edge integrating the electrothermal WIPS, central body with adjustable flap and parts for assembly in the IWT. A preliminary IWT test plan was produced as a collaboration between ATX and CIRA. The test points will cover aerodynamic calibration and IPS performance evaluation under atmospheric icing conditions (CS-25 Appendix C envelope) and Freezing Drizzle conditions (CS-25 Appendix O envelope).
In WP4, the IPS demonstrator and components design was completed. Unique tools and production processes had to be established to produce the leading edge. Major challenges, which influenced the design of the part and the tools significantly, were (a) the integration of the busbars including its electrical connection, (b) the integration of a large number of miniature thermocouples needed to monitor the temperature distribution within the structure, and (c) the bonding to the Nickel erosion shield onto the leading edge. In fact, the erosion shield bonding was only successful with a revised bonding strategy after the first attempt had resulted in incomplete bonding at the leading edge highlight. Furthermore, the IPS control system for IWT demonstration was developed and the control box hardware built and tested.Finally the IPS demonstrator was qualified at AIT for IWT testing.
In WP5, the IPS demonstrator was tested in a collaborative testing campaign with the CS2 IRON-ICE project in the CIRA Icing Wind Tunnel in October and November 2022. The feasibility of a pure de-icing system without a parting strip was successfully demonstrated. The system showed higher sensitivity to parameters such as angle-of-attack which is not the case for most de-icing systems. Therefore, further research and development is needed to fully optimize the system and ensure the final concept is both energy efficient and safe. The TRL5 assessment was performed.
