CFD Simulation Study of De-Icing on a Pitot Tube

摘要

Safety in the aviation industry has been of a serious concern with instrumentation playing one most crucial role. Proper functioning of the pitot tube is very essential in-flight operation. Considering all causes of the pitot malfunctioning, icing and blockage by particles and objects are known to be the major contributors. In this study simulation was executed for melting of a thin film of ice that is formed around a pitot tube. Heat was applied to the walls of the pitot probe to investigate the time taken to completely melt the ice. Results showing the temperature will be displayed to explain the reason for the melting pattern. Since most pitot icing occur in-flight operation, a stream of air at very low temperature was injected to mimic the exact condition. CFD tool was used to numerically simulate and analyze this condition set up.