There has long been a need for a deicing solution that is simple, energy-efficient, fast, and effective across all forms of ice, snow, and frost—and now researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed one. Their technology uses electrothermal pulses for the efficient and rapid removal of ice from aircraft wings.
“Our pulse interfacial defrosting, deicing, and desnowing [PID] method is based on electrothermal heating, but unlike conventional systems, it uses short, high-intensity power pulses instead of continuous heating,” said Nenad Miljkovic, a professor of mechanical engineering at the university and lead researcher for the project. “These pulses rapidly deliver heat to the ice/material interface, detaching ice with minimal energy input and within a short time window.”
Miljkovic and his team reported their findings in “Aircraft Electrothermal Pulse Deicing,” published in the January 2025 issue of the ASME Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer.
The Pulse Approach
This project targeted the icing problem for electric aviation and various energy systems. With traditional methods, combustion gases from the aircraft engine are used to remove ice from the leading edge of the aircraft with the help of a pneumatic booting system. However, since electric aircraft have no engines, this method is not feasible.
“We thought that, by leveraging pulsed electrothermal heating, we could address the core limitations of existing deicing technologies in a fundamentally better way,” Miljkovic said. To test the feasibility of pulse deicing, the team developed a transient thermal-hydrodynamic numerical model to account for multiple phases and materials, specific and latent heating effects, melt layer hydrodynamics, and boundary layer effects. The model studied the relationships between heater thickness, substrate electrical insulation thickness, pulse duration, and pulse energy.
The results were used to estimate the input conditions required for deicing, which were then integrated into an electrical model considering energy storage, power electronics, integration, and layout, to achieve overall volumetric and gravimetric power density optimization.
“We developed a two-dimensional finite difference method simulation to determine the power requirements for pulse deicing,” Miljkovic said. “The model couples the hydrodynamics of melt layer formation and ice removal with the thermodynamics and heat transfer of phase change [melting and refreezing], and the local shear rate on the ice material due to boundary layer formation on the aircraft.”
Deicing performance was analyzed with respect to system volumetric and gravimetric power density. “In contrast to previous electrothermal approaches, our simulation results demonstrate that pulse electrothermal deicing is a feasible method for modern more-electric aircraft, demonstrating five times higher efficiency with time reduction to deice the surface,” said Miljkovic.
The thin melt layer created by pulse heating reduces the adhesion between the ice/wing interface, allowing aerodynamic forces to remove the bulk ice from the wing without melting. The researchers also found that PID limits the diffusion of the heat compared to traditional steady heating and that combining PID with surface wettability accelerates buildup removal. In addition, the system only needs to melt an ultrathin layer of ice—around one-tenth of a millimeter—to facilitate the sliding of the ice off the wing, which can take as little as five seconds.
Plenty of Variables
Materials selection, design, and integration each presented their own challenges and steep learning curves. Since this technique is based on electrothermal heating using thin-film materials, “ensuring the materials are ready for real-world application proved tricky,” Miljkovic said. “These surfaces must endure harsh outdoor environments, including rain impact, shear from air and water flow, snow and ice, dust, gravel abrasion, temperature fluctuations, and UV radiation.”
Because aircraft deicing elements are located on the wing’s exterior and are constantly exposed to these stresses, the researchers had to get creative with material selection. “For example, developing accelerated durability testing protocols and evaluating long-term performance under such simulated conditions was one of the steepest technical challenges of the project,” Miljkovic said.
On the electrical side, the team designed a power converter that could function reliably in an aircraft environment, which was equally demanding. “This was a relatively high-power application, with 3 kW pulses, so efficiency and thermal management were critical for safe and effective operation,” Miljkovic said. “The challenge was further intensified by the need to operate in elevated ambient temperatures, which required strategic heat spreading and loss minimization measures to protect the electronics and maintain reliable performance.”
The power converter design and development were essential parts of making PID viable. The heater material required specific voltage and power characteristics, so the electrical team designed a converter tailored to those needs. This ensured precise, high-efficiency delivery of energy to the heater during the pulse, enabling the system’s overall performance.
“We have developed a PID method using a thin-film resistive heater,” said Miljkovic. “By supplying high power for short periods, we reduce energy consumption and improve the overall efficiency of the deicing system.”
Innovation at the Forefront
This research demonstrates the importance of designing energy efficient thermal management systems. Aviation is often an extreme challenge for mechanical engineering design, with every subsystem onboard an aircraft optimized in multiple dimensions—for example, weight, surface profile, and energy efficiency. “Energy efficiency should also be considered in all aspects of the design—from drag reduction to electrical power consumption,” said Miljkovic.
The PID system must also be able to withstand the harsh aircraft environment. The power converter, for example, went through extensive environmental testing that followed procedures outlined in the DO-160G standard for systems on aircraft. The standard ensures that new systems implemented on aircraft can withstand certain mechanical stresses including shocks, vibrations, and high ambient temperatures. “Having to design with these tests in mind was a good learning opportunity for us, and we think others would also find it interesting,” noted Miljkovic.
Miljkovic’s industry partner for the project is Ampaire. The ultimate goal of the project is to test the technology with Ampaire on a larger, industry-level scale. “We are in the process of completing a ground-based demonstration of the integrated PID technology on a retired Cessna aircraft wing, with Ampaire leading the effort,” said Miljkovic. “Looking ahead, it would be exciting to see this technology tested in flight under actual icing conditions.”
The team is also optimistic that PID will continue to advance to higher technology readiness levels and eventually be developed into a commercial product deployable by aircraft manufacturers. Beyond aviation, Miljkovic anticipates that this technology could have broad applicability across other mechanical and engineering sectors facing similar ice and frost-related challenges, especially the HVAC and renewable energy sectors.”
Mark Crawford is a technology writer in Corrales, N.M.
