Enhancing Drone Safety in Icy Conditions
Images provided courtesy of UAF Geophysical Institute, used with permission. Photo credit: JR Ancheta.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute has introduced a groundbreaking icing tower designed to improve drone flight safety in icy weather. This innovative facility will play a crucial role in Alaska’s efforts to expand drone use for remote deliveries and emergency response in harsh conditions. The Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) at UAF is spearheading this important research.
The new tower addresses a critical challenge for drones operating in Alaska’s climate, where ice buildup on wings and rotors can severely impact aircraft performance and control. This issue is particularly significant for drones, as they often operate at low altitudes, making them more susceptible to icing than traditional aircraft flying at higher elevations.
The Importance of Icing Research
Eyal Saiet, a systems and technology integration specialist at ACUASI, emphasized the importance of this research: “If drones are going to be a robust option for cargo delivery, for search and rescue and for other uses, then they need to be reliable. They have to be able to handle icing, and in Alaska that’s a major barrier to cross”.
Aircraft icing can occur at altitudes ranging from near the surface up to 40,000 feet, depending on conditions such as temperature, moisture, and cloud type. The severest icing typically occurs between 2,000 and 20,000 feet, where supercooled liquid water droplets are most prevalent.
Features of the Icing Tower
The icing tower is about 16 feet tall and located in a fenced area behind UAF’s Reichardt Building. It can create various types of calibrated icing conditions, enabling drones to fly in a controlled environment that simulates real-world scenarios. This facility is somewhat like a wind tunnel but is smaller and vertical, allowing for precise control over icing conditions.
Coda Consulting of Ottawa, Canada, designed and built the tower, enhancing an experimental setup originally developed by the National Research Council of Canada. The collaboration between these organizations has resulted in a facility that CEO Mathieu Gibeault describes as “truly one-of-a-kind”.
Impact on Drone Safety
The new ACUASI icing tower can reproduce a wide range of icing scenarios, making it a critical asset for advancing drone safety and performance in harsh weather conditions. Gislain Chevrette, an icing expert with Coda, highlighted the importance of precise control over droplet size and liquid water content in creating accurate supercooled water droplet icing conditions for testing.
As Alaska continues to develop its drone economy, this new icing tower represents a significant step forward in ensuring the safety and reliability of unmanned aircraft systems in Arctic conditions. The research conducted at this facility will likely have far-reaching implications for drone operations in cold climates worldwide.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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