Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ICE GENESIS (Creating the next generation of 3D simulation means for icing)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-01-01 bis 2023-12-31
Current methodologies used to characterize ice accretion and its effects on air vehicle components and power plant systems are mainly based on empirical methods, comparative analysis, 2D simulation and experience from in-service products.
Due to the associated uncertainties, cautious design margins are used, leading to non-optimized solutions. As future air vehicle and propulsive system architectures introduce radical design changes, it will no longer be possible to rely on the existing design methodologies, making future development extremely difficult to accomplish efficiently and within short cycles.
These difficulties are increased by the changes in certification regulations, in particular for Supercooled Large Drops (SLD). Snow also remains a challenge, especially for turbine engines and APUs.
ICE GENESIS’ target was to provide the European aeronautical industry with a validated new generation of 3D icing engineering tools (numerical simulation tools and upgraded test capabilities), addressing App C, O and snow conditions, for safe, efficient, right first time, and cost-effective design and certification of future aircraft, rotorcraft and engines.
Due to the associated uncertainties, cautious design margins are used, leading to non-optimized solutions. As future air vehicle and propulsive system architectures introduce radical design changes, it will no longer be possible to rely on the existing design methodologies, making future development extremely difficult to accomplish efficiently and within short cycles.
These difficulties are increased by the changes in certification regulations, in particular for Supercooled Large Drops (SLD). Snow also remains a challenge, especially for turbine engines and APUs.
ICE GENESIS’ target was to provide the European aeronautical industry with a validated new generation of 3D icing engineering tools (numerical simulation tools and upgraded test capabilities), addressing App C, O and snow conditions, for safe, efficient, right first time, and cost-effective design and certification of future aircraft, rotorcraft and engines.
ICE GENESIS achieved the following:
- WP1 Project management: Necessary tools and procedures to manage the project were put in place. Continuous efforts were made to tackle the difficulties faced and limit their impact.
- WP2 Dissemination & exploitation: Dissemination of results was ensured through several publications, public events and presentations to major conferences. Public deliverables were published on the project’s website.
- WP3 Consolidation of specifications & test plans. Test follow up: Some specifications were defined for test facilities and numerical tools for each of the ICE GENESIS streams: supercooled liquid icing (including SLD conditions) and snow.
- WP4 Instrumentation for liquid icing conditions: The best suited instrumentation to characterize liquid icing conditions was selected and evaluated for each facility. It included measurement of Particle Size Distribution, Liquid Water Content, cloud homogeneity, droplet temperature (Global Rainbow Technique), and ice accretions (3D Scanning System).
- WP5 Instrumentation for snow and microphysical properties: Valuable falling snow data was gathered through field campaigns, including flight tests. Considerable efforts were made on the data processing to retrieve the snow characteristics. A selection of the most appropriate instrumentation for flight test and snow facility calibration was also performed.
- WP6 SLD test capability: The App. O calibration of CIRA (TRL4) and RTA (TRL5) icing wind tunnels was performed following a procedure defined in the project. It enabled to achieve upgraded capabilities for both facilities, in particular for freezing drizzle conditions. A preliminary capability for freezing rain was even demonstrated at RTA.
- WP7 Snow test capability: Snow generation systems were developed, integrated and calibrated at RTA and NRC in accordance with calibration procedure defined within the project. RTA achieved TRL4, while NRC RATFac was TRL4/5.
- WP8 Wind tunnel tests preparation and performance for liquid icing and snow conditions: The following tests were performed: 3D wing mock-up at CIRA (App. C & O), cascade rig at Cranfield University (App. C), fan rotor in NRC AIWT (App.C) NACA0012 airfoil at RTA and NRC (Snow). A common experimental database, partially public, was also established, gathering data from ICE GENESIS and previous projects.
- WP9 Numerical capability development for liquid icing conditions: Numerical capabilities for SLD conditions were developed, focusing on 3 main aspects: experimental investigations of SLD impact on a surface, modelling of the physical phenomena observed, and development of numerical methods (3D Predictor-Corrector, Multi-Step calculations). The 3D tools upgraded with the SLD models were then evaluated on ice accretion test cases and achieved TRL4.
- WP10 Numerical capability development for snow: Several physical phenomena related to snow were modelled, starting from existing ice crystals models. The sticking and erosion models reached TRL3 while the transport models were sufficiently mature to demonstrate TRL4.
- WP11 Numerical tools validation in industrial environment: The upgraded liquid icing tools were evaluated on partner-specific and common test cases, achieving TRL4. Best practices were defined. Regarding snow tools, an additional optimization of the sticking and erosion models was performed at industrial level and the tools were then assessed by comparison with experimental results. It highlighted the major progress made, as well as the main gaps to be covered in further studies.
- WP1 Project management: Necessary tools and procedures to manage the project were put in place. Continuous efforts were made to tackle the difficulties faced and limit their impact.
- WP2 Dissemination & exploitation: Dissemination of results was ensured through several publications, public events and presentations to major conferences. Public deliverables were published on the project’s website.
- WP3 Consolidation of specifications & test plans. Test follow up: Some specifications were defined for test facilities and numerical tools for each of the ICE GENESIS streams: supercooled liquid icing (including SLD conditions) and snow.
- WP4 Instrumentation for liquid icing conditions: The best suited instrumentation to characterize liquid icing conditions was selected and evaluated for each facility. It included measurement of Particle Size Distribution, Liquid Water Content, cloud homogeneity, droplet temperature (Global Rainbow Technique), and ice accretions (3D Scanning System).
- WP5 Instrumentation for snow and microphysical properties: Valuable falling snow data was gathered through field campaigns, including flight tests. Considerable efforts were made on the data processing to retrieve the snow characteristics. A selection of the most appropriate instrumentation for flight test and snow facility calibration was also performed.
- WP6 SLD test capability: The App. O calibration of CIRA (TRL4) and RTA (TRL5) icing wind tunnels was performed following a procedure defined in the project. It enabled to achieve upgraded capabilities for both facilities, in particular for freezing drizzle conditions. A preliminary capability for freezing rain was even demonstrated at RTA.
- WP7 Snow test capability: Snow generation systems were developed, integrated and calibrated at RTA and NRC in accordance with calibration procedure defined within the project. RTA achieved TRL4, while NRC RATFac was TRL4/5.
- WP8 Wind tunnel tests preparation and performance for liquid icing and snow conditions: The following tests were performed: 3D wing mock-up at CIRA (App. C & O), cascade rig at Cranfield University (App. C), fan rotor in NRC AIWT (App.C) NACA0012 airfoil at RTA and NRC (Snow). A common experimental database, partially public, was also established, gathering data from ICE GENESIS and previous projects.
- WP9 Numerical capability development for liquid icing conditions: Numerical capabilities for SLD conditions were developed, focusing on 3 main aspects: experimental investigations of SLD impact on a surface, modelling of the physical phenomena observed, and development of numerical methods (3D Predictor-Corrector, Multi-Step calculations). The 3D tools upgraded with the SLD models were then evaluated on ice accretion test cases and achieved TRL4.
- WP10 Numerical capability development for snow: Several physical phenomena related to snow were modelled, starting from existing ice crystals models. The sticking and erosion models reached TRL3 while the transport models were sufficiently mature to demonstrate TRL4.
- WP11 Numerical tools validation in industrial environment: The upgraded liquid icing tools were evaluated on partner-specific and common test cases, achieving TRL4. Best practices were defined. Regarding snow tools, an additional optimization of the sticking and erosion models was performed at industrial level and the tools were then assessed by comparison with experimental results. It highlighted the major progress made, as well as the main gaps to be covered in further studies.
ICE GENESIS contributed to:
Ensuring safety for all icing conditions: ICE GENESIS delivered a set of capabilities covering all types of icing conditions and air vehicles. Consequently, ICE GENESIS permits weather hazards to be more precisely evaluated and properly mitigated by improving the understanding and modelling of icing conditions and providing engineering tools as a support for the design and certification.
Reducing certification costs: Development and certification costs could be reduced by extensive use of simulation tools. Though the maturity of the upgraded numerical tools is not yet sufficient for use as comprehensive certification means of compliance, ICE GENESIS made significant progress and provides major improvement compared to the state of the art. The upgraded capabilities can be used for sensitivity studies and preliminary design assessments, enabling a reduction of design risks towards certification.
Reducing maintenance costs: The enhanced numerical models for liquid icing and snow developed within ICE GENESIS will be used by the engine manufacturers for improving analysis capability of existing engine fleets, in order to reduce maintenance disruption.
Reducing power consumption and environmental footprint: The enhanced capabilities developed in ICE GENESIS will contribute to the reduction of power consumption by supporting trade-offs on future ice protection systems for aircraft and engines. However more work is needed to increase the TRL of icing tools to enable integration of novel technologies and achieve climate-neutral aviation objective.
Maintaining European competitiveness: ICE GENESIS allowed to:
- Further explore design and de-risking against late redesign,
- Maintain competitiveness for European air vehicle and engine manufacturers,
- Reduce power consumption as well as maintenance and certification costs,
- Increase testing capabilities in Europe,
- Increase European scientific excellence and strengthen international research collaboration with Canada and Japan,
- Strengthen European leadership on icing tools.
Progress made within ICE GENESIS will pave the way for future research activities in order to further mature numerical and test capabilities and provide European aeronautical industry with necessary engineering tools for development and certification of future low emission products.
Ensuring safety for all icing conditions: ICE GENESIS delivered a set of capabilities covering all types of icing conditions and air vehicles. Consequently, ICE GENESIS permits weather hazards to be more precisely evaluated and properly mitigated by improving the understanding and modelling of icing conditions and providing engineering tools as a support for the design and certification.
Reducing certification costs: Development and certification costs could be reduced by extensive use of simulation tools. Though the maturity of the upgraded numerical tools is not yet sufficient for use as comprehensive certification means of compliance, ICE GENESIS made significant progress and provides major improvement compared to the state of the art. The upgraded capabilities can be used for sensitivity studies and preliminary design assessments, enabling a reduction of design risks towards certification.
Reducing maintenance costs: The enhanced numerical models for liquid icing and snow developed within ICE GENESIS will be used by the engine manufacturers for improving analysis capability of existing engine fleets, in order to reduce maintenance disruption.
Reducing power consumption and environmental footprint: The enhanced capabilities developed in ICE GENESIS will contribute to the reduction of power consumption by supporting trade-offs on future ice protection systems for aircraft and engines. However more work is needed to increase the TRL of icing tools to enable integration of novel technologies and achieve climate-neutral aviation objective.
Maintaining European competitiveness: ICE GENESIS allowed to:
- Further explore design and de-risking against late redesign,
- Maintain competitiveness for European air vehicle and engine manufacturers,
- Reduce power consumption as well as maintenance and certification costs,
- Increase testing capabilities in Europe,
- Increase European scientific excellence and strengthen international research collaboration with Canada and Japan,
- Strengthen European leadership on icing tools.
Progress made within ICE GENESIS will pave the way for future research activities in order to further mature numerical and test capabilities and provide European aeronautical industry with necessary engineering tools for development and certification of future low emission products.