UTC Aerospace Systems is changing the industry with its lightest ice protection systems

UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies, has obtained an exclusive license from Metis Design to a carbon nanotube (CNT) heater based technology, for aircraft electrothermal ice protection. This technology was co-developed by Metis Design and the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This technology supports the aerospace industry’s growing need for more durable, lightweight, damage-tolerant and low-power ice protection systems. Aircraft ice protection systems remove or prevent ice from accumulating on the leading edges of wings, stabilizers, and engine nacelles. Once implemented on aircraft, UTC Aerospace Systems’ electrothermal ice protection systems with CNT technology will deliver uniform heat distribution, enhanced damage tolerance and improved fatigue resistance in a lightweight system. UTC Aerospace Systems’ Sensors & Integrated Systems business is a leading supplier of pneumatic de-icing, ice detection and electrothermal ice protection, with a presence on hundreds of aircraft types. The use of electrothermal ice protection systems is expected to grow as new aircraft become “more electric,” which will result in a shift away from energy-inefficient bleed air systems. Products built with CNT enable the use of lightweight heaters, have lower thermal inertia and increased damage tolerance compared to traditional electrothermal systems.