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(Photo by Carlye Calvin.) Scott Landolt has been dashing into and
out of the MMM cold room, built for cloud physics research, as part
of a RAP study of aircraft deicing fluids. Scott's been working for
three years with RAP senior scientist Roy Rasmussen on the FAA-
funded project. The goal is to see how well the most popular brands
of fluid perform under different rates of snowfall at different
temperatures. In the cold room, Scott uses a snowmaking device he
built with Alan Hills and the NCAR machine shop, based on specs
from Scott and Alan. The machine shaves flakes off a 3-foot (1-
meter) ice core and onto a surface coated with deicing fluid and
designed to simulate an aircraft wing. Along with the indoor tests,
Scott and Roy have been checking the fluids' performance during
winter storms on the windswept grounds of the Marshall Field Site.
"Once we're sure the snow machine can simulate the conditions that
occur outdoors, we'll be able to test the fluids at any time of the
year in a cold room," says Scott. "The potential's there to save
the airlines a lot of money if they know how often to deice planes
for certain temperatures and snowfall rates." The cold-room studies
have been conducted at temperatures between 23°F and
–4°F (–5 to –20°C), although the room can be
chilled to as low as –22°F (–30°C). When the
flakes fly outside, a hatch in the cold room can be opened so
natural snow can fall within—not an option in July, alas.
• Bob Henson
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Unless otherwise noted all images are copyrighted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research / National Center for Atmospheric Research / National Science Foundation.
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