Pitot Tube-Based Icing Detection: Effect of Ice Blocking on Pressure

Abstract

This study aims at addressing a problem on icing detection for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV for short) because traditional icing detection methods are costly and bulky. Toward this end, a pitot-based icing detection method is proposed, and the effect of different types of icing blocking on pressure is firstly reported. An icing detection system based on the pitot tube is designed and fabricated. Icing wind tunnel results indicate that if the pitot tube is blocked by glaze ice, then the total pressure of the pitot tube decreases gradually and remains unchanged and less than static pressure. However, if the pitot tube is blocked by rime ice, then the total pressure drops to the same level as the static pressure. If the pitot tube is blocked by non-ice organic materials, then the total pressure suddenly drops to the same level as the static pressure and remains unchanged. Furthermore, if the pitot tube contacts the water droplets but does not freeze, the total pressure output value fluctuates slightly. The effect of icing on pressure is caused by differences in ice microstructure, temperature, and flow velocity. At the same time, the proposed method offers a facile and low-cost approach for UAV icing detection.