ERDC Researchers Receive Aircraft Icing Patent

Researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's (ERDC) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) were recently awarded a patent for a device that measures the presence of ice on aircraft.

Dr. Norbert Yankielun, a research electronic engineer, and Dr. Charles Ryerson, a research physical scientist, have received U.S. Patent #6,608,489, "Device, and method of its use, for concurrent real time alerting to accumulation of material upon multiple areas of a surface."

"This patent is an electromagnetic instrumentation technique to detect and measure the presence of ice, water, de-icing, and anti-icing fluid on an aircraft wing," said Yankielun.

"The advantage of this invention is that a single technology will detect ice on the aircraft before flight and ice formation on the aircraft during flight," said Ryerson.

One of CRREL's most prolific inventors, Yankielun has been associated with CRREL for more than 15 years. He is the sole inventor or co-inventor of 19 patents with numerous others in process. Yankielun's patents involve the application of electronics and electromagnetics to solve geophysical and environmental instrumentation, monitoring and measurement problems, especially related to military and civil cold regions challenges.

Ryerson is a member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center Aircraft Icing Team and a recipient of NASA's 2001 Revolutionize Aviation Goal Award. He has been involved with military aircraft anti-icing and deicing programs for nine years, and chairs the Society of Automotive Engineers AC-9C Aircraft Icing Technology Subcommittee for creating advisory and standards documents.

Yankielun and Ryerson are residents of Lebanon and Hanover, N.H., respectively.

CRREL is one of seven laboratories that comprise the ERDC. The ERDC is the premier research and development facility for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employing more than 2,000 researchers and support personnel. ERDC has $1.2 billion in facilities, and an annual research program exceeding $660 million. It conducts research in both military and civil works mission areas for the Department of Defense and the nation.

CRREL is the only Department of Defense laboratory addressing problems and opportunities unique to the world's cold regions. Located in Hanover, N.H., CRREL also has field offices in Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska.