{"title":"Thermographic analysis of ethylene glycol–based aircraft anti-icing fluid: Investigation of fluid failure mechanisms during simulated snow endurance tests","authors":"Sanae Benaissa, Derek Harvey, Gelareh Momen","doi":"10.1016/j.coldregions.2025.104472","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Applying anti-icing fluid is the primary method of protecting aircraft surfaces from freezing precipitation before takeoff. This research's main objective is to deepen our understanding of the fluid failure mechanisms using the infrared thermography technique to observe the snow-fluid interactions. We use a laboratory-scale setup with an optical and infrared camera to study the interaction between artificial snow and anti-icing fluids. The thermal aspects of snow melting upon deposition on an ethylene glycol–based fluid are examined for different ethylene glycol concentrations, snow mass deposits, and temperatures. When the freezing temperature of the water–ethylene glycol mixture is lower than the ambient temperature, deposited snow causes an instant temperature drop, revealing that a fraction of the snow undergoes an instantaneous phase change. Depending on the ethylene glycol concentration, ambient temperature, and snow mass input, the snow-to-water transformation may be total or partial. The magnitude of the temperature drop is proportional to the amount of snow melting and limited by the variation in local fluid concentration resulting from the melting process. As the ethylene glycol concentration decreases and the mixture's freezing point approaches the ambient temperature, the absence of temperature variation indicates that the snow remains solid and that the snow accumulation process is initiated. We demonstrate that the surrounding ambient temperature influences the melting rate. Higher temperature gradients are achieved at an ambient temperature of −5 °C, and the melt rate exhibits sensitivity to the studied snow mass. At −10 °C and −15 °C, temperature gradients due to snow melting are reduced and sensitivity to snow mass becomes negligible for the lowest masses achieved for these tests. This study provides insights into the failure mechanisms of anti-icing fluids. Thermal failure is indicated by the absence of a temperature change after snow deposition, signifying fluid melt saturation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10522,"journal":{"name":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 104472"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cold Regions Science and Technology","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165232X25000552","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CIVIL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Applying anti-icing fluid is the primary method of protecting aircraft surfaces from freezing precipitation before takeoff. This research's main objective is to deepen our understanding of the fluid failure mechanisms using the infrared thermography technique to observe the snow-fluid interactions. We use a laboratory-scale setup with an optical and infrared camera to study the interaction between artificial snow and anti-icing fluids. The thermal aspects of snow melting upon deposition on an ethylene glycol–based fluid are examined for different ethylene glycol concentrations, snow mass deposits, and temperatures. When the freezing temperature of the water–ethylene glycol mixture is lower than the ambient temperature, deposited snow causes an instant temperature drop, revealing that a fraction of the snow undergoes an instantaneous phase change. Depending on the ethylene glycol concentration, ambient temperature, and snow mass input, the snow-to-water transformation may be total or partial. The magnitude of the temperature drop is proportional to the amount of snow melting and limited by the variation in local fluid concentration resulting from the melting process. As the ethylene glycol concentration decreases and the mixture's freezing point approaches the ambient temperature, the absence of temperature variation indicates that the snow remains solid and that the snow accumulation process is initiated. We demonstrate that the surrounding ambient temperature influences the melting rate. Higher temperature gradients are achieved at an ambient temperature of −5 °C, and the melt rate exhibits sensitivity to the studied snow mass. At −10 °C and −15 °C, temperature gradients due to snow melting are reduced and sensitivity to snow mass becomes negligible for the lowest masses achieved for these tests. This study provides insights into the failure mechanisms of anti-icing fluids. Thermal failure is indicated by the absence of a temperature change after snow deposition, signifying fluid melt saturation.
期刊介绍:
Cold Regions Science and Technology is an international journal dealing with the science and technical problems of cold environments in both the polar regions and more temperate locations. It includes fundamental aspects of cryospheric sciences which have applications for cold regions problems as well as engineering topics which relate to the cryosphere.
Emphasis is given to applied science with broad coverage of the physical and mechanical aspects of ice (including glaciers and sea ice), snow and snow avalanches, ice-water systems, ice-bonded soils and permafrost.
Relevant aspects of Earth science, materials science, offshore and river ice engineering are also of primary interest. These include icing of ships and structures as well as trafficability in cold environments. Technological advances for cold regions in research, development, and engineering practice are relevant to the journal. Theoretical papers must include a detailed discussion of the potential application of the theory to address cold regions problems. The journal serves a wide range of specialists, providing a medium for interdisciplinary communication and a convenient source of reference.