Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T06:28:27.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Numerical and experimental characterisation of an aeronautic Pitot probe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2019

R. Jäckel ,
G.L. Gutiérrez Urueta Open the ORCID record for G.L. Gutiérrez Urueta [Opens in a new window] ,
F. Tapia Rodríguez  and
C. Monreal Jiménez
R. Jäckel
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México
G.L. Gutiérrez Urueta*
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí, México
F. Tapia Rodríguez
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Panamericana, Zapopan, Jalisco, México
C. Monreal Jiménez
Affiliation:
Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosé, México
*
[email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Aeronautic Pitot probes (PPs) are extremely important for airspeed and altitude measurements in aviation. Failure of the instrument due to clogging caused by ice formation can lead to dangerous situations. In this work, a commercial aeronautic PP was characterised experimentally regarding its inner composition, material properties and its thermal performance in a climatic wind tunnel. Performance runs were taken out in order to analyse the thermal response of the PP under various operating conditions with a particular emphasis on the cooling process in the case of a heating element failure. Data for the thermal conductivity, diffusivity and specific heat for each material forming the PP were obtained. A numerical model to simulate the thermal behaviour of the PP was created using Comsol Multiphysics (CM). Experimental data were compared with their numerical counterparts for model validation purposes. After the model was validated, the operation of the PP in flight conditions was simulated. The failure of the conventional heating system was analysed to obtain the time until the PP reaches a tip temperature where ice formation can be expected. The tip temperature undercut the zero degrees Celsius mark 165 seconds after the heating element was switched off. The data collected in this work can be used to implement and validate mathematical models in order to predict the thermal performance of Pitot probes in flight conditions.

Keywords

Aeronautic Pitot probeInfrared Thermography (IR) ThermographyHeating elementAircraft icingClimatic Wind Tunnel
Type
Research Article
Information
The Aeronautical Journal , Volume 123 , Issue 1264 , June 2019 , pp. 890 - 911
Copyright
© Royal Aeronautical Society 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Landsberg, B. Aircraft icing. Safety Advisor Weather, 1, (1), pp. 1–16, 2002. https://www.aopa.org/-/media/Files/AOPA/Home/Pilot-Resources/ASI/Safety-Advisors/sa11.pdf. Accessed 2 October 2018.Google Scholar
Sand, W.R., Cooper, W.A., Politovich, M.K. and Veal, D.L. Icing conditions encountered by a research aircraft, Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology, 1984, 23, (10), pp 1427–1440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Civil Aviation Authority. Aircraft icing handbook. Safety Education and Publishing Unit, 2000. https://www.caa.govt.nz/safety_info/GAPs/Aircraft_Icing_ Handbook.pdf. Accessed 2 October 2018.Google Scholar
Wecel, D., Chmielniak, T. and Kotflowicz, J. Experimental and numerical investigations of the averaging pitot tube and analysis of installation effects on the flow co-efficient, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 2008, 19, pp 301–306. doi: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2008.03.002.Google Scholar
Hamad, F.A. and He, S. Evaluation of hot-film, dual optical and pitot tube probes for liquid-liquid two-phase flow measurements, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 2010, 21, pp 302–311. doi: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2010.03.004.Google Scholar
Spelay, R.B., Adanea, K.F., Sanders, R.S., Sumner, R.J. and Gillies, R.G. The effect of low Reynolds number flows on pitot tube measurements, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 2015, 45, pp 247–254. doi: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2015.06.008.Google Scholar
White, A.J. and Young, J.B. Loss measurements and interpretation of pitot pressures in two-phase vapor-droplet flow, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 1997, 15, pp 279–287.Google Scholar
Vinod, V., Chandran, T., Padmakumar, G., and Rajan, K.K. Calibration of an averaging pitot tube by numerical simulations, Flow Measurement and Instrumentation, 2012, 24, pp 26–28. doi: 10.1016/j.flowmeasinst.2012.02.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Adefila, K., Yan, Y., Sun, L. and Wang, T. Calibration of an averaging pitot tube for gaseous CO2 flowmetering, IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 2015, 64, pp 1240–1249.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gratton, G.B. Use of global positioning system velocity outputs for determining airspeed measurement error, Aeronautical Journal, 111, (1120), 2007, pp 381–388.Google Scholar
Zhang, J., Li, W., Liang, R., Zhao, T., Liu, Y. and Liu, M. Numerical and experimental research on pentagonal cross-section of the averaging pitot tube, Measurement Science and Technology, 2017, 28, (7).Google Scholar
Souza, J.R.B., Lisboa, K.M., Allahyarzadeh, A.B., Andrade, G.J.A., Loureiro, J.B.R., Naveira-Cotta, C. Silva Freire, P.A.P., Orlande, H.R.B., Silva, G.A.L. and Cotta, R.M. Thermal analysis of anti-icing systems in aeronautical velocity sensors and structures, Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, 2016, 38, (5), pp 1489–1509.Google Scholar
Asante, C.J. and Pokhrel, M. CFD simulation study of de-icing on a pitot tube, International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 2016, 11, (5), pp 2986–2989.Google Scholar
Souza, J.R. Anlise trmica terico-experimental de sondas pitot aeronuticas, com experimentos em tnel de vento, ensaios em voo e projeto bsico do tnel de vento climtico da UFRJ, Dissertation, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 2014.Google Scholar
Comsol Multiphysics, V. 5.2, www.comsol.com, COMSOL AB, Stockholm, Sweden https://www.comsol.com/Google Scholar
Cengel, Y. and Ghajar, A. Transferencia de Calor y Masa, McGraw-Hill, 2011, Mexico, DF.Google Scholar
Jäckel, R., Gutiérrez Urueta, G., Tapia Rodríguez, F., Braga Rodrigues Loureiro, J. and Monreal JimÉnez, C. Experimental study of ice formation on an aeronautical pitot probe, 3rd Thermal and Fluid Engineering Conference, TFEC2018, Fort Lauderdale, FL, US, 2018, pp 61–66. 10.1615/TFEC2018.asp.024485.Google Scholar
Bureau d’Enquétes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile. Final report on the accident on 1st June 2009 to the airbus A330-203 registered F-GZCP operated by Air France flight AF 447 Río de Janeiro – Paris, 2009. https://www.bea.aero/docspa/2009/f-cp090601.en/pdf/f-cp090601.en.pdf. Accessed 2 October 2018.Google Scholar