SENS4ICE EU Project Icing Detection Technologies Evaluation

Abstract

The EU Horizon 2020 project SENS4ICE addresses reliable detection and discrimination of supercooled large droplets (SLD) icing conditions. These conditions are considered as particularly safety-relevant and have been included in airplane certification specifications. The SENS4ICE project encompasses technology development, icing wind tunnel upgrading/testing and flight testing. A novel hybrid approach for icing detection combines direct sensing (atmospheric conditions / ice accretion) with an indirect technique based on changing aircraft characteristics. In the first part of the project icing detection technologies were developed and matured, with a focus on Appendix O icing conditions (14 CFR Part 25 and CS-25). Moreover, several icing wind tunnel facilities have enhanced capabilities to represent Appendix O conditions. Icing wind tunnel testing (including Appendix O) of several icing detection sensors developed in SENS4ICE completed the first part of the project. In this paper a summary of IWT results is given. The second part of the project is dedicated to flight test evaluation of icing technologies in natural icing conditions including Appendix O. Two flight test campaigns in early 2023 served to test and demonstrate eight of the direct ice detection technologies under development as well as the hybrid ice detection system, including indirect ice detection. Extensive meteorological support allowed to encounter icing conditions of interest including Appendix O conditions in flight. Initial flight test results are promising with regard to sensor detection behavior and hybrid ice detection system performance including indirect ice detection.