Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on the Influence of Aircraft Deicing Fluid Concentration on Wall-Flow Heat Transfer Characteristics under Multi-Ice Scenarios

To investigate the deicing fluid concentrations across diverse global winter regions under varying ice scenarios, this study establishes a numerical model for wall-flow heat transfer of aircraft deicing fluid, validates the model accuracy via experimental verification, examines the wall-flow heat transfer characteristics under various ice types and deicing fluid concentrations, and conducts comparative analysis of the flow field and temperature field variations across distinct parametric conditions. Results demonstrate that the differential impact of distinct ice-layer materials and deicing fluid concentrations on the wall velocity field ranges between 2.4 and 5.0%. For varied ice-layer materials, both frost ice and mixed ice achieve complete melting within 240 s, with the melting duration of frost ice being one-third that of mixed ice, glaze ice attains a melting area with a radius of approximately 65 cm. Deicing fluids at various concentrations reduce melting time by from 45 to 63% as compared to hot water at identical temperatures. The 30% concentration is optimum for small-scale ice removal due to its rapid deicing performance, while the 50% solution maintains effective deicing for large aircraft wings. The 70% formulation, with higher viscosity and lower freezing point, proves suitable for extreme cold-weather operations. These findings advance precision in deicing operations across diverse ice types, demonstrating significant potential for reducing melting duration and conserving deicing fluid consumption.