Leading-edge thermal anti-ice systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11299280-B2
Application number	US-201916521516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2019
Priority date	Jul 24, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

An anti-ice system is disclosed, including an airfoil structure having a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction. The airfoil structure includes an outer skin and an inner skin which form a plurality of channels, each channel having an air inlet and an air outlet. An air delivery duct inside the airfoil structure extends transverse to the wind direction and has a plurality of openings directed toward the air inlets of the channels. A heat exchanger is configured to provide hot air to the air delivery duct.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An anti-ice system, comprising:
an airfoil structure having a camber line, including a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction, and including an outer skin and an inner skin forming a plurality of channels, each channel having an air inlet above the camber line and an air outlet below the camber line,
an air delivery duct inside the airfoil structure extending substantially transverse to the wind direction, the air delivery duct being above the camber line and having a plurality of openings directed toward the air inlets of the plurality of channels, and
an air supply configured to provide hot air to the air delivery duct.

2. The anti-ice system of claim 1 , wherein each channel has a cross-sectional dimension and each cross-sectional dimension varies between the air inlet and the air outlet.

3. The anti-ice system of claim 2 , wherein each channel has an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, at least one of the upper and lower portions having an increased cross-sectional area as compared to the middle portion.

4. The anti-ice system of claim 2 , wherein each channel has an upper portion, a middle portion, and a lower portion, the upper and lower portions each having an increased cross-sectional area as compared to the middle portion.

5. The anti-ice system of claim 1 , wherein the air inlets receive air from inside the airfoil structure, and the air outlets discharge air outside of the airfoil structure.

6. The anti-ice system of claim 1 , wherein the inner skin has a front surface facing the outer skin, including an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, and multiple ridges extending from the upper edge portion to the lower edge portion, the multiple ridges forming walls for the plurality of channels.

7. The anti-ice system of claim 6 , wherein the front surface has a plurality of protrusions along the upper and lower edge portions configured to connect the inner and outer skins.

8. The anti-ice system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover to enclose the air delivery duct.

9. The anti-ice system of claim 8 , wherein the cover is connected to flange structures inside the airfoil structure.

10. The anti-ice system of claim 9 , wherein the inner skin has a front surface facing the outer skin, and including an upper edge portion, the flange structures including a first flange structure inwardly extending substantially orthogonally from the upper edge portion of the inner skin.

11. The anti-ice system of claim 8 , wherein the cover has a flared C-shape.

12. An aircraft, comprising:
a fuselage,
a first wing extending from the fuselage, a second wing extending from an opposing side of the fuselage, each wing including a leading-edge portion facing a wind direction, each leading-edge portion including an outer skin and an inner skin forming a plurality of internal channels, each internal channel having an internal air inlet and an external air outlet,
each wing including an air delivery duct extending substantially transverse to the wind direction, each air delivery duct having a plurality of openings directed toward the internal air inlets of the respective plurality of internal channels, and
an air supply configured to provide hot air to the plurality of internal channels,
wherein each internal channel has a middle portion extending between the air inlet and the air outlet, the air inlet and the air outlet each having a greater cross-sectional area than the middle portion.

13. The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the air supply includes a heat exchanger of a bleed air system.

14. The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein the inner skin has a front surface facing the outer skin, including an upper edge portion, a lower edge portion, and multiple ridges extending from the upper edge portion to the lower edge portion, the multiple ridges forming walls for the plurality of internal channels.

15. The aircraft of claim 14 , wherein the front surface has a plurality of protrusions along the upper and lower edge portions configured to connect the inner and outer skins.

16. The aircraft of claim 12 , further comprising:
a cover to enclose the air delivery duct in each wing, each cover being connected to flange structures inside the respective wing, wherein one of the flange structures extends substantially orthogonally from an upper edge portion of the inner skin.

17. The aircraft of claim 12 , wherein each wing has a camber line, the air delivery duct and the internal air inlet of each internal channel being above the camber line and the external air outlet of each internal channel being below the camber line.

18. A method of preventing ice formation on a leading-edge portion of an airfoil, comprising:
directing hot air to an air delivery duct extending along an interior of a leading-edge portion of an airfoil structure,
enclosing the air delivery duct with a cover,
dispersing air from the air delivery duct into an airtight cavity enclosed by the cover toward channels formed between an inner skin and an outer skin of the leading-edge portion of the airfoil structure, wherein each channel extends between an inlet and an outlet and each inlet is in fluid communication with the airtight cavity, and
venting air from the channels through the outlets.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein each channel has a varying cross-sectional dimension between the inlet and the outlet.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the airfoil has a camber line, the air delivery duct and the inlet of each channel being above the camber line and the outlet of each channel being below the camber line.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Burton Jeffrey Michael
• Amorosi Stephen Roger
• Silva Douglas James

Classifications

• B64D15/04 Primary

  Hot gas application · CPC title

• B64C21/04

  for blowing · CPC title