Energy-Saving Low- and Medium Cavitation Temperature Deicer Theory and Experimental Testing

Abstract

This manuscript presents the theory and experimental validation of low- and medium-temperature deicing technology that advances the recently developed Ice Cavitation Deicing (ICD) method. Conventional high-temperature ICD (HTICD) efficiently removes ice by explosively vaporizing a thin interfacial melted layer but operates at heating rates above 106 K/s, high voltage, and maximum temperatures exceeding 400 °C. This study develops Low-Temperature and Medium-Temperature Ice Cavitation Deicing (LTICD and MTICD), extending ICD into the previously unexplored intermediate heating-rate regime. Analytical modeling based on energy conservation, transient heat diffusion, water thermodynamics, and thermal-stress analysis was combined with finite-element simulations and experimental testing. Several foil materials were evaluated over heating rates of approximately 104–107 K/s using capacitor banks of 0.1–35 mF. Experiments demonstrated effective removal of thick and thin ice at cavitation temperatures of approximately 120–200 °C, substantially below those of HTICD. The lower operating temperatures and heating rates reduce thermal stress, voltage, and current, enable practical low-voltage electrolytic capacitors, and expand the range of suitable materials. Thus, LTICD and MTICD provide a lower-temperature, more practical electrical architecture for future aircraft ice-protection systems.