De-ice and anti-ice system and method for aircraft surfaces
AssigneeNorthcoast Technologies
InventorRobert B. Rutherford
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A thermal de-ice and anti-ice system for aircraft surfaces employs a laminate in which flexible expanded graphite foil is an electrical and heat conducting layer that is disposed below an outer heat conducting layer, with an electrically insulating layer below the graphite layer. The flexible expanded graphite layer requires about three times less wattage than known resistance heating pad thermal systems to achieve de-ice and/or anti-ice temperatures. The temperature of the surface is controlled by varying the power supplied to the flexible expanded graphite layer of the laminate in response to a real time temperature value transmitted to a power control.
Claims38
An aircraft structure comprising an outer surface that includes a leading edge, and a heat-conducting tape bonded to said outer surface for electro-thermally removing ice from or preventing the formation of ice on the outer surface during flight, wherein the heat-conducting tape comprises at least two layers laminated to each other under heat and pressure, the layers comprising (i) a non-metallic conductive layer connected to a power source, the non-metallic conductive layer consisting of a flexible expanded graphite foil sheet having an electrical resistivity of about 1.times.10.sup.-4 ohm-inches to about 10.times.10.sup.-4 ohm-inches and a thermal conductivity of about 140 W/M.degree.K at 70.degree. F., and (ii) an outer heat conducting layer that is an electrical insulator, having a volume resistivity of about 10.sup.3 ohm-inches to about 10.sup.12 ohm-inches, and a thermal conductivity of about 0.1 W/M.degree.K to about 5 W/M.degree.K.
A heat-conducting tape for application to an outer surface of an aircraft, wherein the outer surface includes a leading edge, for removing ice from or preventing the formation of ice on the outer surface, the heat-conducting tape comprising at least two layers laminated to each other under heat and pressure, the layers comprising (i) a non-metallic conductive layer for connection to a power source, the non-metallic conductive layer consisting of a flexible expanded graphite foil sheet having an electrical resistivity of about 1.times.10.sup.-4 ohm-inches to about 10.times.10.sup.-4 ohm-inches and a thermal conductivity of about 140 W/M.degree.K at 70.degree. F., and (ii) an outer heat conducting layer that is an electrical insulator, having a volume resistivity of about 10.sup.3 ohm-inches to about 10.sup.12 ohm-inches, and a thermal conductivity of about 0.1 W/M.degree.K to about 5 W/M.degree.K.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.