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Viscosity
Thickened fluid used for ‘anti-icing’ purposes protects an aircraft with clean surfaces from re-freezing. The fluid is designed with a measure of viscosity to withstand a specific ‘deformation’, in other words, remain on the aircraft surfaces until the aircraft becomes airborne. We use a Brookfield LV standard viscometer to measure the viscosity of thickened fluids.
Visual Contamination
Visual checks help to establish whether any obvious contamination of the fluid has occurred. Particles of foreign bodies such as rust could potentially indicate issues with the condition of fluid store media. They could, in some cases, have a chemical reaction further degrading the fluid.
COMING SOON
Reporting and status of your fluids at your fingertips.
SAFETY FIRST
The importance of laboratory standard fluid testing
De and Anti-icing fluid comprises primarily a propylene glycol-based base product that can have a freezing point of up to -70°C. This makes it suitable for removing contamination from aircraft surfaces and protecting the surfaces from refreezing.
Both thickened (Newtonian) or unthickened (non-Newtonian) fluids are commercially available for use by aviation companies such as airlines, ground service providers (GSP), military operators and fixed-base operators (FBO).
The integrity of the fluid is essential to flight safety. However, through both use or during storage, fluid can sometimes become contaminated or degraded.
Whilst field checks are helpful for ensuring the basic integrity of the fluids, SAE International standards require that laboratory checks are periodically undertaken to ensure that the fluid continues to meet the manufacturer's standards.
Refractive Index (RI)
The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent or refracted when entering a material. Measuring the refractive index enables us to determine the fluid/water concentration, which is essential for calculating its freeze point.
Viscosity
Thickened fluid used for ‘anti-icing’ purposes protects an aircraft with clean surfaces from re-freezing. The fluid is designed with a measure of viscosity to withstand a specific ‘deformation’, in other words, remain on the aircraft surfaces until the aircraft becomes airborne. We use a Brookfield LV standard viscometer to measure the viscosity of thickened fluids.
Visual Contamination
Visual checks help to establish whether any obvious contamination of the fluid has occurred. Particles of foreign bodies such as rust could potentially indicate issues with the condition of fluid store media. They could, in some cases, have a chemical reaction further degrading the fluid.