Projects in progress
Persistent active anti-icing systems by developing conductive coatings,
CORNET 35 - Acronym: ActiCOAT
Project objective
The main objective of ActiCOAT is to develop an active anti-icing system based on modified conductive coatings produced in flexible carbon nanotube forming processes and unsaturated polyester resin, as well as the necessary control and regulation technology.
The issue of icing is an important aspect often considered in many areas, such as aviation and the railway industry. The wind turbine industry is a particularly important example of the ice systems market, where ice is a serious problem and causes both economic and social problems. New, functionally integrated anti-glaciation solutions are needed here, which offer significant added value in terms of resource efficiency while improving functionality. On the other hand, increasing demand for efficient solutions requires flexible, cost-effective and reliable production technologies.
In order to meet these challenges, the ActiCOAT project consortium has identified three key R & D themes that are essential for the success of the proposed solution: The first theme is the development of materials that include the development and modification of polyester coatings for use as heated surfaces in composites. The second task is to develop a production process for the integration of developed heating coatings as well as appropriate sensor and control technology taking into account the interaction of process parameters and structural properties. The final step is to develop extensive material models describing mechanical and thermal behaviour and testing methods to assess anti-icing properties under wide operating conditions..
Application potential
- Reduce weight and volume of construction by using materials with integrated functions. Modification of nanomaterial coatings will allow to perform heating functions without the use of additional heating elements.
- Increase the glacial properties of composite surfaces by using modifiers with elevated hydrophobic properties that reduce the amount of ice deposited on the surface and facilitate its removal.
- Increase the efficiency of the anti-glaciation system by using carbon nanofillers to ensure uniform heat distribution throughout the composite surface. This is particularly important in industries where the elements are large, e.g. in the case of wind turbine blades, unmanned ship transport wings or train components.
- Reduce production and investment costs. The use of conductive coatings will allow the use of external anti-icing systems, which increase investment costs, generate service costs and increase the mass of the entire structure.
Project consortium partners
The project is carried out as part of the CORNET action – 35 in an international consortium with the participation of the Cluster of Innovative Manufacturing Technologies of CNNOMATECH (Poland) acting as coordinator and Warsaw University of Technology (Poland) with the participation of FILK Freiberg Institute gGmbH (Germany), Technische Universität Dresden (Germany).