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1. SYSTEM OPERATION & ICE DETECTION

INTRODUCTION
In this unit we will show you how modern jet aircraft are protected against the negative effects of
ice and rain. When an aircraft operates in rain, for instance during takeoff or approach, the
visibility for the pilots is reduced. To solve this problem we have 2 systems in the aircraft: A
windshield wiper for each pilot and a rain repellent system which we describe in lesson 4.
When the aircraft flies in icing conditions, you can imagine that more problems
are possible. An ice buildup on the aircraft mainly has the following effects: The aerodynamic
quality of the aircraft is reduced and its weight increases. The engines can also get problems and
the ice can block the probes for the air data system. In addition ice on the windshields will
decrease the visibility more than rain.
WING ANTI – ICE
Usually, clouds have no ice but have supercooled water droplets. When these droplets hit the
aircraft they change from liquid water to solid ice. If the temperature of the droplets is between
zero and minus 10C clear--ice is produced on the surface. The ice--build up begins on the leading
edge of the surface. This is the hit point where the droplets hit the surface. Not all of the droplets
freeze immediately and therefore some move aft on the surface. This results in a clear ice layer
which becomes larger and thicker the longer you fly in these conditions.

If the temperature of the droplets is below minus 10C, mainly rime--ice is produced on the
surface. Again, the ice--build--up begins on the leading edge of the surface where the droplets hit
the surface. But these very cold droplets freeze immediately and build up a rime ice layer on the
leading edge only. When you fly at high speed in this condition, the rime ice layer forms a
typical double horn shape. Both types of ice can also occur together and therefore produce a
combination of all negative effects. Decrease of lift, increase of weight and increase of drag. You
have seen that the effect of ice on the aircraft is always negative and can even become
dangerous. It must therefore be prevented by either not flying in icing conditions or by the use of
an anti--ice system. In jet aircraft, the anti ice system heats the wing leading edge where the ice--
build--up begins. It uses warm air from the engines and is therefore named thermal wing anti ice
system.

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ENGINE ANTI ICE
In addition to the negative effect on aerodynamics and a higher weight, the engines can also get
problems when there is an ice build--up. Ice has 2 important negative effects on the engine inlet.
A disturbed air flow that reduces the performance of the engine and can lead to
a compressor stall. And if the engine sucks in pieces of ice, these pieces can damage fan blades
or inlet vanes. This means that the engine will stop completely. To prevent ice build--up on the
engine inlet, all jet engines have a thermal anti ice system, you will also learn about this in lesson
2. If an aircraft has a center engine as shown here, you must make sure that ice pieces from the
fuselage do not hit the engine. Usually the antennas get this ice build--up and therefore they are
also heated by warm air.

ICE ON GROUND
The two thermal anti ice systems are very good at preventing ice build--up during flight.
But what do you think happens when snow or ice falls on the aircraft when it is
on the ground, for instance over night? Anti ice systems prevent ice--build--up on critical aircraft
areas during flight. You cannot use them to de--ice an aircraft which has ice already on it.
You must perform the de--icing shortly before takeoff with a de--icing fluid. Always follow
company procedures. Allow an aircraft to fly only, when it is free of ice and snow.

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ICE DETECTOR 1
During flight, the thermal anti--ice systems can only do their task when they are switched on
before any ice builds--up. On the other hand, it is not permitted to keep the systems on all of the
time. This is because taking hot air from the engines reduces their performance and
economy.
This means that the pilot must get accurate information when the aircraft flies
into icing conditions. This is the task of an ice detector. Here you see an ice detector of an airbus
aircraft. You find it between the 2 windscreens where it is in sight of both pilots. When the pilots
see ice on this detector, then there is probably ice on other parts of the aircraft. Therefore, the
pilots must switch on the thermal anti ice systems. This is performed manually by pressing the
corresponding push buttons on the overhead panel.

ICE DETECTOR 2
Now we look at a different type of ice detector. It is installed near the air data probes and
therefore is not visible to the pilots. When this component detects ice, it generates a message in
the cockpit and can automatically activate the thermal anti--ice systems. The part of the ice
detector you can see outside the aircraft is a magnetostrictive probe tip. This tip vibrates with a
certain frequency which is generated by an oscillator. When ice builds--up on the ice detector,
the probe--tip becomes heavier and this reduces the frequency of the vibration.
When the frequency decreases below a certain value a feedback circuit activates the heating. This
melts the ice on the probe tip and the frequency increases again. When the frequency reaches the
original value again the heating is switched off and the cycle starts again.
A counter calculates the number of cycles and activates output signals when a given number of
cycles is reached. and activates output signals when a given number of cycles is reached.
The output signal of the ice--detector depends on the position of the thermal
anti--ice switches on the control panel. When a switch on the panel is in the AUTO position, the
ice detector automatically activates the corresponding thermal anti--ice system.
When a switch on the panel is in the OFF position you get a message on the EICAS display.
When the pilot sees this ICING message he must switch on the anti ice systems.

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ELECTRICAL ANTI - ICE SYSTEM
In the last segments we talked only about thermal anti--ice systems. In this segment you get an
introduction to electrical anti ice systems which are also very important A probe heat system
prevents blockage of air data probes, a window heat system prevents ice on the windshield that
would reduce visibility and a line and drain mast heat system prevents frozen water--lines.
All these electrical anti--ice systems are active during the whole flight. They are
partially switched off on the ground to prevent overheat.

2. THERMAL ANTI - ICE SYSTEM

INTRODUCTION
Two thermal anti--ice systems are installed in jet aircraft: The wing and the engine anti--ice
systems.
The wing anti--ice system uses hot air from the pneumatic system. The engine anti--ice system
also uses hot air. The air comes from either the pneumatic system or directly from the engine. An
engine anti--ice valve provides the connection. When an anti--ice valve opens, the hot air enters
the anti--ice duct. The hot air sprays through small holes in the anti--ice duct into the wing
leading
edge or engine cowling. The hot air heats up the area of the leading edge and prevents ice build--
up. Later, the air leaves this area through openings in the lower part of the structure. Extreme

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caution is necessary during ground tests of thermal anti--ice systems because the air is still hot.
You must be sure that no personnel are in the test area.
When the wing leading edge is equipped with slats then a telescoping duct is necessary to supply
the wing anti--ice duct. The telescoping duct is short when the slats are retracted and long when
the slats are extended.

SYSTEM CONTROL
You probably remember this pneumatic schematic from the pneumatic unit. We will now see
what it looks like with the two thermal anti--ice systems added. The left and right wing anti--ice
system use hot air which is already regulated by the bleed valve. The engine anti--ice system
uses bleed air from the corresponding engine. This air comes either from the engine bleed--air
system, upstream of the bleed valve, or from a separate port on the engine compressor.
You can control the thermal anti--ice systems with switches on the overhead panel. Here you see
the push buttons in an airbus aircraft. The wing anti--ice system always has only one switch. This
switch controls the two sides at the same time because the system must always operate
symmetrically. On engine anti--ice systems you find a switch for each engine installed on the
aircraft.
Wing anti--ice systems usually operate only in flight. When you switch on the system on ground,
the wing anti--ice valves open only for a short time. This lets you check the correct operation
before the flight. When the aircraft lands, the wing anti--ice valves close automatically. The
engine anti--ice systems can always be activated when bleed air from the engine is available.

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VALVE TYPES
In thermal anti--ice systems you find the same type of valves as in other parts of the pneumatic
system. Electrical motor operated valves, like crossbleed valves, are also used in some
wing anti--ice systems. You can find solenoid controlled pressure operated valves in engine and
wing anti--ice systems.
In the two systems they operate as shut--off valves, like the APU bleed valve, or they can be
pressure regulating valves like the engine bleed valve. All thermal anti--ice valves have a manual
override function like some other valves in the pneumatic system. This manual function is used
when there is a valve or system failure. You can lock the wing anti--ice valves in the closed
position only. This is only allowed when there is no risk of icing during the next flight. It is also
very important to remember that you must close the wing anti--ice valves always on
both wings.
The engine anti--ice valves you can lock in the open or closed position. The position you use
depends on several conditions and is stated in the maintenance documentation.
SOLENOID CONTROLLED VALVE
We will now look at a solenoid controlled pressure operated valve. This valve closes by spring
force when there is no air pressure available. When air pressure is present it fills the lower
chamber of the valve cylinder, this pushes the piston up and moves the air in the upper part of the
cylinder to ambient via the de--energized solenoid. This opens the valve. To close this valve type
you must energize the solenoid this brings high air pressure to the upper chamber. With equal
pressure on the two sides of the piston the spring closes the valve.

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We have simplified this function to make the principle clear to you. In reality, the internal build--
up of the valve is more complicated. Now we can use this solenoid-- controlled, pressure--
operated, shut--off valve in an engine anti--ice system. When the pushbutton switch on the
overhead panel is switched off, then the solenoid is energized and the valve closed.
Two limit switches monitor the valve position. This type of valve is fail safe to open. This means
that it automatically opens when there is no electrical power. You can also find other valve types
which close when the solenoid is de--energized, for example, in Boeing aircraft. In this case the
engine anti--ice system is off when there is no electrical power.

PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE

This pressure regulation is needed if pneumatic system air pressure is too high
for the anti--ice system. This valve stays closed when you activate the pneumatic pressure. This
is because the pressure is not only in the lower valve chamber it also goes, via the pilot valve, to
the upper chamber, when the solenoid valve is de--energized. Now you can activate this valve in
an airbus wing anti--ice system.
When you energize the solenoid the pressure in the upper valve chamber decreases because it
releases to ambient. This permits the pressure in the lower chamber to push the piston up and
open
the valve. When the valve is open you get pneumatic pressure downstream of the valve

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which goes to the wing anti--ice ducts. This pressure is also connected to the pilot valve and
moves its piston to the right. The result is that the pressure increases in the upper valve chamber.
This
moves the valve in the closing direction. The valve motion stops when the downstream pressure
has the correct value of about 20psi, because the pilot valve then has a balanced situation.

This system is monitored by two pressure switches, which are found downstream of the valve,
and one valve limit switch. The fault light illuminates when you switch on the wing anti--ice
pushbutton but the pressure does not reach 14psi. It also comes on when the pushbutton is
switched off but the valve is not fully closed. You get a special situation when the aircraft is on
the ground.
As you already know, the wing anti--ice valves close automatically when the aircraft lands. You
do not need to switch the wing anti--ice pushbutton to off at this moment. When the pressure
decreases below 14 psi you will not get the fault light. This is because the ground sensing switch
opens the circuit. The blue on--light stays on as long as the pushbutton is pressed.

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MOTOR OPERATED VALVE
The last valve type we will look at is a motor--operated shut--off valve. This type you find in the
wing anti--ice systems of Boeing aircraft. The electric motor of this wing anti--ice valve is an AC
motor. Here the valve is shown in the closed position. The motor opens the valve when you
connect the right motor coil directly to AC power and the left coil gets the power via the
capacitor.
AC power reaches the motor via the contact of the valve open limit switch.
This happens when you switch the wing anti--ice switch on the control panel to ON. You also get
AC power when you select the AUTO position, ice is detected and the flaps are up.
You must remember that you can only activate the system in flight and for the preflight test. The
electric motor closes the valve when the left motor coil gets the AC power
directly and the right coil is supplied via the capacitor.

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3. ELECTRICAL ANTI ICE
ELECTRICAL HEATING CIRCUIT
Before we look at the aircraft electrical anti ice systems we will have a quick look at their main
parts Each electrical heating circuit has a heating element, which usually is a copper
wire, a power supply and a temperature or power control circuit. The heating element is heated
by an electrical current. The value of the current depends on the voltage of the power supply and
the resistance of the heating element. The amount of heat that is generated by a heating element
is proportional to the electrical power in the circuit.
The temperature of a heating element depends on the amount of electrical power. A low power
generates a low temperature and a higher power generates a higher temperature. This means that
the temperature of a heating element is controlled by the amount of electrical power that it
receives.
The temperature of the heating element is also controlled by the cooling conditions. For a given
level of electrical power, a low or warm airstream gives a higher temperature, compared to a high
or cool airstream. To have a sufficient temperature always available, you need a control circuit.

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HEATING POWER CONTROL
The aircraft’s electrical anti--ice systems use 2 different types of control circuits. The
temperature control circuit needs a temperature feedback signal. This allows the exact control of
the heating element temperature. The power control circuit can only compensate for the effect of
2 different cooling conditions. Usually, it increases the heating power at takeoff, because in
the air you have much more cooling. You can increase the heating power at takeoff, when you
switch the voltage of the heating element from a single phase to a 2 phase operation. This means
that on the ground you use 115 volts and in the air 200 volts.
Another method to change heating power is to use a diode in the AC circuit. When the aircraft is
on the ground only the positive wave of the AC is used and this reduces the power to 50%.
In the air you bypass the diode and full power is available. The 2 power control circuits that we
saw before, work only with AC power. This example shows that you can also use this in DC
circuits. The heating element has 2 resistors. On the ground the 2 resistors are switched in series
and in flight they are switched in parallel. You have now seen 3 examples of electrical heating
circuits where the electrical power is controlled by the aircraft air -- ground condition.

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TEMPERATURE CONTROL
2 different types of temperature control are used in aircraft electrical heating circuits:
Either a bimetal switch controls the heating circuit directly, or a thermistor senses the
temperature and controls an electronic switch. A bimetal switch is always located near the
heating element.
The bimetal switch has 2 switching points. The contact of the bimetal always
closes when the temperature is below the low switching point, this switches the heating on.
The contact opens when the temperature reaches the high switching point, this switches the
heating power off. This gives an average temperature of the heating element which is in the
middle between the high and the low switching points.
The second type of temperature control circuit uses electronic components. With this circuit you
can control the temperature more precisely and you can use larger currents.
A closer look shows you that this circuit also switches the heating power on
and off. But this happens more often compared to the bimetal.
The main advantage of this circuit is that the electronic switch has no mechanical parts which
can wear. Electronic switches are usually semiconductor controlled rectifier or SCR in
short. On the other hand the electronic temperature control circuits need an additional
sensor to measure the temperature. The temperature sensor is named thermistor.

TEMPERATURE MONITORING
A failure in the temperature control circuit has 2 different results. One result is a permanently
open contact. In this case the heating is switched off. The second result is a permanently closed
contact.

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You can see that the heating element will overheat when the heating is permanently switched on.
To prevent this, many electrical anti--ice systems have an overheat protection
circuit. This is usually a bimetal switch located in series to the control switch.
This bimetal switch has a higher temperature setting, so it is usually closed and will only open in
case of an overheat.
Also, in electronic circuits, you can often find an electronic overheat circuit instead of a bimetal
switch, but with basically the same function.

DRAIN MAST HEAT

The drain mast heat system prevents freezing of the waste water outlets on the
lower part of the fuselage. The system is switched on automatically, when electrical power is on.
In drain mast heat systems you find nearly all types of power and temperature
control circuits. You can also find identical circuits for the heating of water pipes in the non
heated fuselage areas.

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PROBE HEAT
A very important anti--ice system for flight safety is the air data probe heating. You can find 4
different types of probes on the aircraft:
- the temperature probe, also named rosemount probe, measures air temperature for various
calculations
- the pitot tubes measure the dynamic air pressure to calculate for example, the airspeed
- the static ports measure the static air--pressure to calculate, for example, the altitude
- the angle of attack or alpha sensors which are mainly needed for the stall warning and
flight control systems.
The probe heat system is switched on automatically, when you start one of the engines. You can
also switch on the system manually from the control panel if there is a failure in the automatic
circuit or for ground tests. The probe heat system has no temperature control circuits. The
heating power is controlled only in some circuits by the air--ground switching. If there is a
failure in the probe heating during flight, you can get unreliable information from the probes.
This can be very dangerous. Therefore, you get a message on the display of the central warning
system, when the heating current is too low.

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WINDOW HEAT COMPONENTS
You can find window heat systems on all aircraft. Each cockpit window has its own temperature
control circuit. The main components of a window heat system are , the window itself,the
temperature control and monitoring circuits. These usually use a window heat control computer
which is located in the electric compartment and a system control circuit with an automatic and
manual operation.
Windows number 1, which are also called windshields, are mainly heated to prevent icing.
Therefore, you find the heating element behind the outer glass panel. The heating element is a
transparent, electrically conductive film. Near the heating film you also find the temperature
sensor, which is a thermistor. In most windows you find a second sensor. You use this spare
sensor when the first sensor has a failure. This prevents replacement of the complete window.

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All other windows, such as windows number 2 and 3, are mainly heated to prevent misting.
Therefore the transparent heating film is located near the inner glass panel.
The warm inner window surface also improves the crew comfort. One or two temperature
sensors are also installed near the heating film On the side windows of some aircraft, you find
one or two bimetal switches. They are pressed against the inner window pane by spring force.
These bimetal switches detect the temperature of the heating film, because they are close
together.
This simple type of window heat control system works exactly like the general
system you learned about in the first segments. The circuit is permanently powered.
The temperature control switch controls the temperature by an on -- off cycling.
The overheat switch is usually closed. It opens only for an overheat condition
because of a failure of the control switch.

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WINDOW HEAT OPERATION
Window heat systems are switched on manually with the corresponding switch
on the overhead panel, or are automatically activated when an engine is started.
This is the same function that you saw earlier for the probe heating system. When you switch on
the window heat system, usually the window is cold. This means that there is a maximum
demand of heating power, which is about 2 kilowatts for the windshield. With this maximum
power, the window heats up very fast. This rapid heating produces stress on the glass layers and
can damage the window. To prevent this problem, the window heat systems have a ramp
function. The ramp increases the heating power slowly to the necessary level in approximatly 4
minutes.
The temperature control circuit takes over the control of the heating power, when the target
temperature of about 40C is reached near the heating film. The window heat systems usually use
PTC thermistors as temperature sensors. When the resistance increases, the controller decreases
the power for the window and vice versa. But what happens when there is a sensor failure? Two
different sensor failures are possible: When there is an open sensor the controller reduces the
power to zero. With a shorted sensor, the resistance is near zero. This usually means a very low
temperature and therefore requires maximum heat.
Because this would damage the window, a monitoring circuit interrupts the heating power when
it detects a shorted sensor. This means that a sensor failure always shuts--down the window heat
system. An automatic shutdown of the window heat system not only happens when there is a
sensor failure, but also when there is a failure in the window heat controller The failure of the
system is shown to the flight crew by a message on the ECAM display. To identify the faulty
component, you do a test with the CMC.

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4. RAIN REMOVAL SYSTEM
RAIN REPELLENT
In this lesson we will show you the systems that are used to improve the visibility for the pilots,
when the aircraft operates in rain. You can find 2 different types of rain removal system in the
aircraft. One type removes the water from the windshield mechanically, this is the windshield
wiper.
The other system repels the water from the windshields by use of a rain repellent fluid or a
special windshield coating. Let us first have a look at the rain repellent function. To repel water
from glass
the contact angle between the water droplets and the glass is important. On normal glass the
contact angle is about 20. This results in the water droplets remaining on the windshield and
gives poor visibility.
When you increase the angle to more than 60, it is not easy for water droplets to remain on the
windshield. This means that they are blown away by the airstream or easily removed by the
windshield wiper. By using rain repellent fluid, you get a high contact angle between water
droplets and glass of more than 80. This fluid is stored under pressure in a container in the
cockpit.
You spray the fluid onto the windshield when you press the corresponding control push--button
on the overhead panel. This opens a valve for a short time. Since 1996 it is no longer permitted to
produce this fluid, because of environmental protection reasons. This also means that the rain

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repellent system will not be used in the future. For this reason, we will not describe this system
any more. A hydrophobic coating of the windshield has now replaced the rain repellent
system. With this coating you can increase the contact angle between water and glass up to about
100. This system needs no pilot action to operate. Also no maintenance action is necessary as
long as the repellent effect of the coating is sufficient. Re--application of the coating onto the
windshield is possible. You do it, if for instance, the pilot complains about poor visibility. To get
a long lifetime from this coating, you must do proper windshield cleaning procedures. You must
also make correct adjustments of the windshield wipers.

WINDSHIELD WIPER
A second rain removal system which is on all aircraft is the windshield wiper system.
Each pilot controls his or her own windshield wiper with the corresponding switch on the
overhead panel. The windshield wiper has 2 different speeds. Here it is running in slow speed.
This is used during normal rain or during taxi on the ground. When you switch the wiper to off,
the wiper arm moves to the park position. This park position is outside the normal wiper area. In
some aircraft the wiper blade is also lifted from the windshield to prevent dirt collecting on the
wiper blade.
You must never switch on the windshield wiper when the windshield is dry. This
will make scratches on the glass layer and will also damage the windshield coating. Also, the
wiper must not be switched on at airspeeds higher than about 250kts. Here the dynamic pressure
of the air is too high and can damage the wiper.

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WINDSHIELD WIPER COMPONENTS
Each windshield wiper has the following components:
- the adjustable wiper assembly with the wiper blade
- the wiper motor assembly
- the control switch in the cockpit.
The pressure of the wiper blade on the windshield must be sufficient to have a good wiper
performance under all operational conditions. It must be sufficient to keep contact on the
windshield even at high airspeeds. On the other hand it must not be too high to cause damage to
the windshield and wiper components.Therefore you adjust the pressure with a screw to be
within limits.The windshield wiper motor assembly has a DC motor,a power control circuit, a
motor speed control circuit, which changes the motor current and a bimetal switch. The bimetal
opens when there is an motor overheat, for example when the wiper is blocked.
A converter is usually directly connected to the motor. It changes the rotating output of the motor
to the cycling movement of the wiper. This graphic shows you the function in a simplified
version. The converter also drives the wiper into the park position if the control switch is off.
As you know already, the park position of the wiper is outside the normal wiping area. To reach
this position the converter changes the transfer ratio. This is usually done by inversing the

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rotation of the motor. When the wiper reaches the park position, the converter activates a park
switch in the motor assembly, as shown here.

WINDSHIELD WIPER OPERATION

When you select the slow speed position of the wiper switch, you first activate the power control
relay.
The activated current moves the wiper out of the park position and when the normal wiper area is
reached, the wiper cycles with a slow speed. When you select the fast speed position of the wiper
switch you activate the power relay and the speed control relay. This cycles the wiper with a high
speed.
When you select the off position of the wiper switch you deactivate the power and the speed
control relay. This reverses the direction of the motor current and the converter drives the
wiper to the park position. When the park position is reached the contact of the park switch
moves up. This activates a short circuit of the motor which stops the motor and wiper
immediately.

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