Icing protection system for an aircraft and method for operating an icing protection system

A method for operating an icing protection system with a fuel cell, and evaporative cooling system and a thermal deicing device with a condenser, wherein the evaporative cooling system is in thermal contact with the fuel cell in order to conduct heat from the fuel cell to the evaporative cooling system for the evaporation of a cooling medium and to route the evaporated cooling medium to the condenser via the steam conduits, and wherein the condenser is designed for causing a condensation of the cooling medium evaporated during the operation of the fuel cell in order to cool the fuel cell while simultaneously emitting heat in the region to be deiced, with said method comprising the steps of:

• measuring the pressure in steam conduits used for supplying steam to regions to be deiced by means of a pressure measuring device, and
• controlling the electrical power demanded from the fuel cell by means of a control unit, wherein said control comprises adjusting the electrical power demanded from the evaporatively cooled fuel cell in dependence on a deviation of the pressure measured with the pressure measuring device from a predetermined nominal pressure,
• wherein the electrical power demanded from the fuel cell is controlled in such a way that the thermal cooling capacity of the evaporative cooling system of the evaporatively cooled fuel cell corresponds to the condensation capacity of the thermal deicing device.