Leading-edge thermal anti-ice systems and methods
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsJeffrey Michael Burton, Stephen Roger Amorosi, Douglas James Silva
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An anti-ice system is disclosed, including an airfoil structure having a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction. The airfoil structure includes an outer skin and an inner skin which form a plurality of channels, each channel having an air inlet and an air outlet. An air delivery duct inside the airfoil structure extends transverse to the wind direction and has a plurality of openings directed toward the air inlets of the channels. A heat exchanger is configured to provide hot air to the air delivery duct.
Claims20
An anti-ice system, comprising:
- an airfoil structure having a camber line, including a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction, and including an outer skin and an inner skin forming a plurality of channels, each channel having an air inlet above the camber line and an air outlet below the camber line,
- an air delivery duct inside the airfoil structure extending substantially transverse to the wind direction, the air delivery duct being above the camber line and having a plurality of openings directed toward the air inlets of the plurality of channels, and
- an air supply configured to provide hot air to the air delivery duct.
An aircraft, comprising:
- a fuselage,
- a first wing extending from the fuselage, a second wing extending from an opposing side of the fuselage, each wing including a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction, each leading-edge portion including an outer skin and an inner skin forming a plurality of internal channels, each internal channel having an internal air inlet and an external air outlet,
- each wing including an air delivery duct extending substantially transverse to the wind direction, each air delivery duct having a plurality of openings directed toward the internal air inlets of the respective plurality of internal channels, and
- an air supply configured to provide hot air to the plurality of internal channels,
- wherein each internal channel has a middle portion extending between the air inlet and the air outlet, the air inlet and the air outlet each having a greater cross-sectional area than the middle portion.
A method of preventing ice formation on a leading-edge portion of an airfoil, comprising:
- directing hot air to an air delivery duct extending along an interior of a leading-edge portion of an airfoil structure,
- enclosing the air delivery duct with a cover,
- dispersing air from the air delivery duct into an airtight cavity enclosed by the cover toward channels formed between an inner skin and an outer skin of the leading-edge portion of the airfoil structure, wherein each channel extends between an inlet and an outlet and each inlet is in fluid communication with the airtight cavity, and
- venting air from the channels through the outlets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.