SENS4ICE Aircraft Icing Hybrid Detection Flight Demonstration Results

Abstract

For aircraft icing a very relevant atmospheric condition is the presence of supercooled large droplets (SLD). These conditions have been added to airplane certification specifications and are of particular interest for industry, authorities and research. The EU project SENS4ICE (2019-2023, GA no 824253) addressed reliable detection and discrimination of SLD icing conditions. A novel hybrid approach for icing detection combines direct sensing (atmospheric conditions / ice accretion) with indirect techniques based on changing aircraft characteristics. After development, maturation and icing wind tunnel testing of icing detection technologies, with a focus on SLD icing conditions, two flight test campaigns in early 2023 served to test and demonstrate eight of the direct ice detection technologies under development and in addition the hybrid ice detection system including the indirect ice detection system primarily in SLD icing. All detection technologies performed well during the flight demonstration and generally exhibited robust and timely ice detection behaviour. Particularly the hybrid ice detection approach showed the capability to provide both early detection and a continuous monitoring of ice accretion on the aircraft. This is very promising and can allow to assess the effectiveness of ice protection systems and/or ice accretion on unprotected surfaces during flight. This may pave the way for new approaches to ensure flight safety and comply with certification requirements. The SENS4ICE project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 824253 (SENS4ICE).