Numerical study on the thermodynamic behavior of de-icing liquid droplets impacting walls

Abstract

Spraying de-icing fluid is a key method to ensure the safe operation of aircraft in icy and snowy weather. The film aggregation and internal mixing of de-icing fluid droplets on the aircraft skin during a collision are crucial. Considering the rheological properties of the molecular viscosity change of the de-icing fluid droplets during the collision and the heat transfer model of the heat loss after the impact, the phase field method is used to capture the gas–liquid interface, and a thermal pressure/viscous coupling model is constructed. The thermodynamic behavior of different axial distances is calculated. The results show that, as the dimensionless axial distance of the droplet increases, the spreading length of the fused droplet decreases instead, and the heat transfer rate of the droplet increases with the increase in spreading length. After stabilizing, the increase or decrease in the heat transfer rate depends on the strength of the heat transfer between the liquid layers. As the dimensionless axial distance increases, the internal flow of the droplet weakens and, between the droplet and the wall, the heat flux density gradually decreases and the average temperature drop of the droplet becomes gradual.