Texto de Aplicacin N22

Protection Against lcing

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The fact that jet engines do not have carburetors to plague a pilot with carburetor icing
problems does not mean that such engines are immune to the effect of freezing water.
Whenever visible moisture is present in the outside air and the ambient temperature is near
freezing, or even quite a number of degrees above freezing, axial flow compressor engines are
susceptible to the formation of ice on the compressor inlet guide vanes, the first-stage
compressor blades, and the surrounding walls of the compressor inlet. Another icing condition
can arise from ice forming on the fuel inlet filter whenever the temperature of the fuel entering
the filter drops to 32F, or below, as may frequently happen on long flights at high altitude.
These two icing problems, common to gas-turbine-powered aircraft, and the systems which
overcome them are not related and will be described separately.
Compressor Inlet Anti-Icing - Centrifugal Compressor Engines

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Centrifugal compressor turbojet engines are relatively free from the danger of ice
collecting at the compressor inlet. The formation of airplane wing ice is much more serious
than engine icing, and is the limiting factor governing flight in icing conditions of aircraft
powered by engines of this type.
Although protective screens for the compressor air inlet are almost a thing of the past for
the larger turbojet and turbofan engines, such screens at one time caused so much trouble when
they were used on some centrifugal compressor turbojets that a word should be said about them.
Except in the case of some modern turboprop and turboshaft engines, as will be explained later,
practically all gas turbine engines equipped with non-retractable air inlet screens are very prone
to icing. Ice forms on the inlet screen, and restricts the flow of inlet air to the engine. This
causes a loss of thrust and a rapid rise in exhaust gas temperature. As the airflow decreases, the
fuel/air ratio increases, which, in turn, raises the turbine inlet and turbine discharge (exhaust
gas) temperatures. The fuel control attempts to correct for any loss in engine rpm by adding
more fuel, which aggravates the condition. The only way to eliminate the formation of ice
during icing conditions in aircraft powered by the older turbojet engines that are fitted with
non-retractable air inlet screens is to avoid flying into icing conditions in the first place.
Compressor Inlet Anti-lcing - Axial Flow Compressor Engines

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The rapid rise of exhaust gas temperature that is indicative of air inlet icing on engines having
their primary control on rpm does not necessarily hold true for a turbojet or turbofan engine
with a single! or dual axial flow compressor that is controlled by both burner pressure and rpm.
In such engines, the rise in exhaust gas temperature commonly associated with ice forming at
the engine inlet may come too late to give the pilot a timely warning of a possibly impending
engine flameout. With either single or dual axial flow compressor engines, the first indication
of ice building up at the compressor inlet may be a compressor surge, as will be explained in
more detail later. For any given icing condition, small engines with close spacing of the inlet
guide vanes are more seriously affected by icing conditions than large engines having guide
vanes which are spaced farther apart or engines without inlet guide vanes.
Some engines are designed with hollow inlet guide vanes and inlet struts. Hot,
high-pressure air is bled from the rear of the engine compressor .and is ducted through an
anti-icing-system control valve to the hollow sections of the inlet struts and guide vanes.

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The heat provided prevents the adhesion of ice. Because such a system may not melt the
ice, once it is formed, but will cause it. to loosen and break off, and enter the compressor in big
chunks which may possibly damage the compressor blades, icing conditions should,
when possible, be anticipated in advance, and the anti-icing system should be turned on before
ice commences to accumulate.
An anti-icing air regulator is sometimes incorporated in the system, which automatically
varies the quantity of the flow of anti-icing air with the changing temperature of the air bled
from the engine. The anti-icing regulator reduces anti-icing airflow when the air is hot, and
less
air will therefore be required to anti-ice the engine inlet. Anti-icing systems cause some
reduction in the thrust produced by the engine and/or some increase in the engine specific fuel
consumption when the system is operating. because taking bleed air from inside the engine is
the same as extracting power. By reducing the airbleed flow when the air is very hot, the
anti-icing regulator permits anti-icing to be accomplished with a minimum loss in thrust and a
minimum penalty in specific fuel consumption. Obviously, the anti-icing system should be
used only when necessary. A light on a panel in the aircraft illuminates to tell the pilot when
the anti-icing system is operating.
Fighter aircraft equipped with long inlet ducts are frequently provided with an inlet ice
detection system. A small probe is placed at some strategic location inside the duct. Ice
forming on the probe causes an electrical circuit to close, which, in turn, activates the engine
inlet anti-icing system. The same hot, anti-icing air which serves to prevent the formation of
ice at the compressor inlet is also used to anti-ice the nose cone. On most nonafterburning,
multiengine, turbine-powered, aircraft installations anti-icing air must be turned on manually
by the pilot in the aircraft.
Compressor Inlet Anti-Icing - Turboprop and Turboshaft Engines

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Anti-icing systems for turboprop and turboshaft engines vary with the size and design of
the engine. Large models, for instance, are often provided with a compressor air inlet anti-icing
system similar to that commonly found on axial flow compressor turbojet and turbofan engines.
The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft JFTD12 free-turbine turboshaft engine for helicopters (which is
in the 4,000 horsepower class) is a typical example of an engine of this kind. On the JFTD12,
anti-icing of the engine air inlet is provided by hot air bled from the compressor discharge. The
hot air is metered by an orifice in the airbleed manifold, and is piped forward to the inlet
section. On-Off control is provided by an electrically operated valve that is actuated by a switch
in the aircraft. Anti-icing air enters the outer annulus of the air inlet section, and) flows inward
through hollow compressor inlet guide vanes to an inner annulus. Provision is made at the front
of the engine for an airframe manufacturer to connect to the inner annulus, and use the
anti-icing discharge air for other anti-icing purposes, if desired.
Some smaller turboprops, notably the PT6 manufactured by United Aircraft of Canada,
Limited, can utilize an inlet air duct design that provides inertial separation for water, ice, and
snow particles which may be in the incoming airstream. The duct design introduces a sudden
turn to the stream of air flowing to the engine. The relatively heavy water and ice particles,
however, continue undeflected, due to)their greater momentum, and are ducted harmlessly
overboard through a bypass passage in the duct.

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Fuel-Deicing Systems
Turbine engine fuel systems in which the fuel passes through a fine-mesh filter before it
enters the engine-driven fuel pump may experience icing of the filter element when the fuel in
the aircraft fuel tanks becomes severely chilled. On centrifugal compressor engines, such
systems are often equipped with a small, alcohol tank. A tap is provided to permit injection of
the alcohol (or similar deicing fluid) into the fuel line to assist in removal of ice from the low
pressure filter screen.
On larger, axial flow compressor engines, a fuel deicing system may be provided which
operates as a heat exchanger, using hot, compressor bleed air as a source of heat. The function
of this air/fuel heater or heat exchanger is to thaw the fuel filter whenever the flow of fuel is
restricted by ice. Some aircraft use an oil/fuel heater instead of an air/fuel heater to anti-ice the
fuel. Under all normal engine operating conditions, the heater, which is manually operated,
will be permitted to remain in the Off position so that no heat will be added to the fuel.
The fuel filter is fitted with a pressure drop warning switch. This switch indicates when
the filter is iced, by illuminating a warning light on the aircraft instrument panel. As ice collects
on the surface of the filter, the filter pressure drop will slowly increase. When the filter pressure
drop reaches a predetermined value, the pressure drop warning light goes on to warn the flight
crew that fuel icing is being encountered.
The fuel deicing system is designed to be used intermittently when the fuel temperature drops to
or below 32F in the vicinity of the fuel pump filter. When either this fuel temperature is
reached or the pressure drop warning light goes on, the pilot or one of his crew will turn on the
fuel heater for a period of approximately one minute, which will normally be sufficient to thaw
the filter and restore the fuel pressure drop across the filter to normal. This, in turn, will cause
the pressure drop warning light to go off. This procedure is either repeated when necessary
or, in severe fuel icing conditions, at periods of about thirty minutes.

Actividades posteriores a la lectura.

Actividad 1. A qu hacen referencia las siguientes palabras o frases?
a. this type (lnea 16)

b. they (lnea 19)

c. them (lnea 19)

d. this (lnea 22)

e. which (lnea 26)

f. In such engines (lnea 34)

g. which (lnea 40)

h. i1 (lnea 50)

Actividad 2. Busque relaciones lgicas en los prrafos de los tres primeros

subttulos.
Mencione el tipo de relacin, cul es el marcador que la indica y qu ideas, conceptos
o hechos se relacionan.

Actividad 3. Conteste las preguntas con informacin del texto.

a. Cules son las dos situaciones de congelamiento que se mencionan?
b. Cul es la condicin de congelamiento ms importante en un avin con turborreactor de
compresor centrfugo?
c. Por qu los propios sistemas del avin agravan la situacin en este tipo de aviones?
d. Sucede lo mismo en una aeronave con compresor de flujo axial? Justifique su
respuesta.
e. De qu manera se puede lograr que el regulador anticongelante acte con una mnima
prdida de empuje y menos consumo de combustible?
f. Cmo funciona el sistema anticongelante en un motor JFTD12?
Actividad 4. Complete el cuadro.

Motores

Motores de compresor centrfugo

Motores de compresor de flujo axial

Sistema de descongelamiento de combustible