Piezoelectric deicing system for aeronautics: Extensional mode actuator and power supply

• Published in: IET power electronics 2024-11, Vol.17 (16), p.2944-2955
• Main Authors: Jomaa, Modar, Lévy, Pierre‐Etienne, Vasic, Dejan, Costa, François, Ali, Marwan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: piezoelectric transducers; power electronics; PWM invertors; reactive power control
• ISSN: 1755-4535; 1755-4543
• DOI: 10.1049/pel2.12813

Recent research shows a growing interest in low‐power avionic deicing systems, in particular, those based on piezoelectric actuators for their energy efficiency. The system generates micrometric vibrations in the structure to delaminate and break the ice with a low power requirement. However, designing the power supply and its control for driving piezoelectric actuators is challenging due to their distinctive capacitive behavior at most frequencies, especially in deicing applications requiring high operational frequency. This contribution addresses the two cross‐dependent parts of the deicing system, that is the piezoelectric actuator designed for breaking any kind of ice on a large area and its power supply made of a 1 kW/200 V/2 MHz auxiliary resonant commutated pole inverter (ARCPI). The choice of this converter is based on the specific constraints of the application, such as varying the operating frequency with the actuator working conditions, the long cables and necessary insulation between the actuator and its supply, the soft‐switching operation and reactive energy balancing for a good efficiency. Based on these criteria, the converter was developed and realized in the laboratory. Deicing tests confirmed effective operation with a power input density of 122 mW/cm2, using nine piezoelectric patches per dm2. This contribution addresses two interdependent parts of the deicing system: The piezoelectric actuator designed for breaking ice over a large area and its power supply, a 1 kW/200 V/2 MHz auxiliary resonant commutated pole inverter (ARCPI). The choice of this converter is based on specific application constraints, such as varying the operating frequency with the actuator conditions, long cables and necessary insulation between the actuator and its supply, soft‐switching operation, and reactive energy balancing for good efficiency. Based on these criteria, the converter was developed and tested in the laboratory. Deicing tests demonstrated effective deicing with a power input density of 122 mW/cmÂ2, using ninepiezoelectric patches per dmÂ2.