Greentech Lead America: GE announced that its
nanotextured anti-icing surfaces significantly reduce ice adhesion. Moreover,
these surfaces now have been shown to significantly delay the onset of ice
formation in simulated atmospheric icing conditions. GE Global Research
findings were presented at the APS’ 2012 March Meeting.
Around 25 million gallons of deicing agents are applied
to aircraft taking off from U.S. commercial airports each year. In addition,
airlines have robust energy intensive heating systems on board to prevent ice
formation on airplanes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Compared to standard surfaces, where ice would form
almost immediately without the use of these systems, GE’s nano-enabled
anti-icing surfaces would delay ice formation for more than a minute on their
own.
GE’s scientists anticipated that these technologies could
reduce and possibly even eliminate the need for existing anti-icing measures,
maintaining safety while also saving businesses and consumers time and money.
GE is now
exploring potential applications of low ice adhesion and anti-icing surfaces
and coatings across the company’s business portfolio. One example is wind
turbines, where icing on wind blades can create a drag on their rotation. This
can greatly diminish the power generating capacity and efficiency of the
turbine.
GE researchers are developing super water-repellent
coatings to improve moisture control in steam turbines to enable higher
efficiency. They also are exploring these coatings for certain parts of a gas
turbine to reduce fouling. This would enable the turbine to run more
efficiently and reduce the number of times it needs to be shut down for
maintenance.
Recently, GE Energy Financial Services and JP Morgan jointly invested $225 million in a
partnership that owns the 662.5-megawatt Capricorn Ridge wind farm in West
Texas.