A Procedure for the Design of Air-Heated Ice-Prevention Systems

A procedure proposed for use in the design of air-heated systems for the continuous prevention of ice formation on airplane components is set forth. Required heat-transfer and air-pressure-loss equations are presented, and methods of selecting appropriate meteorological conditions for flight over specified geographical areas and for the calculation of water-drop-impingement characteristics are suggested. In order to facilitate the design, a simple electrical analogue was devised which solves the complex heat-transfer relationships existing in the thermal-system analysis. The analogue is described and an illustration of its application to design is given.