An ice detector is an instrument that detects the presence of
ice
Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaq ...
on a surface. Ice detectors are used to identify the presence of
icing conditions
In aviation, icing conditions are atmospheric conditions that can lead to the formation of water ice on an aircraft. Ice accretion and accumulation can affect the external surfaces of an aircraft – in which case it is referred to as ''airframe ...
and are commonly used in aviation,
unmanned aircraft
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...
, marine vessels,
wind energy
Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...
, and power lines.
Ice detection can be done with direct and indirect methods. Direct methods identify the presence of
atmospheric icing
Atmospheric icing occurs in the atmosphere when water droplets suspended in air freezing, freeze on objects they come in contact with. It is not the same as freezing rain, which is caused directly by precipitation. Icing conditions can be particul ...
conditions, i.e. the presence of
supercooled water
Supercooling, also known as undercooling, is the process of lowering the temperature of a liquid or a gas below its melting point without it becoming a solid. It achieves this in the absence of a seed crystal or nucleus around which a crystal ...
droplets. Indirect methods infer the presence of icing conditions by either detecting ice accretions on a surface, or by changed vehicle performance behavior.
References
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Aircraft instruments
Detectors