Plasma actuators could keep all-electric aircraft ice-free

Physicists in China and the US are developing anti-icing technology based on plasma actuators for next-generation aircraft powered by electricity.

Currently, commercial jet aircraft cruise at around 35,000 feet where the air temperature drops to below -51 degrees Celsius, which can lead to ice formation on the wings. To prevent this occurring, aircraft utilise heat generated by burning fuel, a utility that won’t be available to all-electric aircraft with composite airframes.

The team from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China and Iowa State University have taken a different approach, reporting that equipment used in controlling landing and take-off can double-up as icing control. Their results are published in Physics of Fluids.

"Current anti-icing methods are not suitable for next-generation aviation systems based on the new aviation technologies," said Xuanshi Meng, an author on the paper. "We have found an excellent way to control the icing on these new aircraft."