System and method of anti-icing inlet guide vanes

An aircraft engine, comprising:

• a compressor section having a compressor inlet, a radially inner shroud, a radially outer shroud, and a compressor rotor;
• an anti-icing air source;
• an inlet guide vane radially disposed between the radially inner shroud and the radially outer shroud and located upstream of the compressor rotor in the compressor section, the inlet guide vane having a radially inner end at the radially inner shroud, a radially outer end at the radially outer shroud, and an airfoil extending between the radially inner end and the radially outer end, the inlet guide vane having an internal passage extending radially through the airfoil from a vane air inlet at the radially inner end to a vane air outlet at the radially outer end;
• an inner plenum disposed radially inwardly of the inlet guide vane, the inner plenum being annular and extending about a circumference of the radially inner shroud, the inner plenum in fluid communication with the internal passage via the vane air inlet and with the anti-icing air source via an inner plenum inlet;
• and
• an outer plenum disposed radially outwardly of the inlet guide vane, the outer plenum in fluid communication with the internal passage via the vane air outlet, the outer plenum having an exhaust port.

A method for anti-icing an inlet guide vane in an aircraft engine, comprising:

• directing hot anti-icing air from an inner plenum disposed radially inwardly of the inlet guide vane through a vane air inlet at a radially inner end of the inlet guide vane, the inner plenum being annular and having an inner plenum inlet in fluid communication with a source of the hot anti-icing air;
• directing the hot anti-icing air in a radially-outward direction through an internal passage within the inlet guide vane, from the vane air inlet at the radially inner end of the inlet guide vane towards a vane air outlet at a radially outer end of the inlet guide vane;
• directing the hot anti-icing air through the vane air outlet at the radially outer end of the inlet guide vane into an outer plenum disposed radially outwardly of the inlet guide vane;
• and
• exhausting the hot anti-icing air from the outer plenum via an exhaust port.