Aviation De-icing Fluid Spraying and Recovery

Ethylene glycol and propylene glycol concentration measurement in aviation de-icing fluids

Aviation de-icing and anti-icing fluids, such as ethylene glycol (EG) or propylene glycol (PG), keep atmospheric ice from accumulating on an aircraft’s flying and control surfaces while in flight. De-icing on the ground is usually done by spraying the aircraft with a de-icing fluid. The de-icing fluids must be used with a containment system to capture the used liquid, preventing ground and streams contamination.

In-line Vaisala Polaris^TM process refractometer is used for quality and safety check by measuring the concentration of the ethylene glycol and propylene glycol at the following stages of the de-icing process:
 

• at the stage of de-icing fluid spraying, it is necessary to control the concentration of ethylene glycol as it affects the freezing point of the glycol-water mixture. Consequently, this undermines the effectiveness of the fluid and has impact on the safe operations of the plane.
• at the stage of the used de-icing fluid recovery where the refractometer monitors the concentration of collected fluids in order to direct pure water to drainage and diluted glycol to the sludge tank.

Learn more about the use of the aviation de-icing fluid from the application note.

Download the application note in PDF by filling the form.

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