ICE-SMART

Abstract:

Icing remains a major aviation safety risk, intensified by climate‑change‑driven extremes that increase SLD (Supercooled Large Droplets), mixed‑phase, ice‑crystal and blowing‑snow conditions. Future sustainable aircraft—more‑electric, hybrid‑electric and unconventional configurations—require new detection and protection technologies compatible with
tighter energy limits. ICE‑SMART will provide the scientific, technological and regulatory foundations needed for future certification of safer, low‑energy icing systems, fully coherent with Call HORIZON‑CL5‑2026‑01‑D6‑15.

Objective 1 — Certification‑ready simulation and testing.
ICE‑SMART will develop a new numerical toolchain for Appendix C/O/P and snow, validated through large‑scale icing wind‑tunnel tests reproducing 1:1 SLD/Freezing‑Rain conditions (MVD up to 500 µm; droplets up to 1.5 mm) and mid‑scale ice‑ and snow‑crystal testing with enhanced generation systems. Traceable wind‑tunnel and flight datasets will support future MoC and harmonised procedures.

Objective 2 — Climate‑driven evolution of icing envelopes.
Using ECMWF ERA5 and ensemble reanalyses (2000–2025), the project will characterise long‑term trends in Appendix C/O/snow conditions and aircraft‑trajectory exposure, providing evidence‑based inputs to evolving EASA certification envelopes.

Objective 3 — Integrated detection and protection technologies (TRL 4–5).
ICE‑SMART will mature direct and indirect sensing (ultrasonic Local Ice Layer Detector (LILD), optical/IR, Ice Discriminator System (IDS), dissimilar synthetic‑air‑data) and low‑energy Ice Protection System (IPS) solutions combining fluor‑free superhydrophobic coatings, hybrid photothermal/electrothermal layers and lightweight piezoelectric actuators.

Through modelling, specialised testing and system‑level integration, ICE‑SMART delivers certifiable methods, datasets and prototype technologies for future sustainable aircraft.

Leitat’s role in the project: