The Prevention of Ice Formation on Gasoline Tank Vents

This investigation was conducted in the refrigerated wind tunnel at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, Langley Field, Va., to determine a suitable method for preventing the formation of ice on the vents of airplane gasoline tanks. Tests were made on a variety of vent forms arranged in a number of different orientations relative to the direction of the air stream. Both the size of the tube and its orientation were found to be of great importance. Small tubes, under equal circumstances, were found to freeze over far more rapidly than large ones. Tubes pointing downstream, or shielded in other ways, appear to be perfectly immune against this hazard. A tube 3/4 inch in diameter with the opening pointing downstream is finally recommended as being the safest choice of gas tank vent.