Ice detector explained

An ice detector is an instrument that detects the presence of ice on a surface. Ice detectors are used to identify the presence of icing conditions and are commonly used in aviation,^[1] unmanned aircraft,^[2] marine vessels,^[3] wind energy,^[4] and power lines.^[5]

Ice detection can be done with direct and indirect methods. Direct methods identify the presence of atmospheric icing conditions, i.e. the presence of supercooled water droplets. Indirect methods infer the presence of icing conditions by either detecting ice accretions^[6] on a surface, or by changed vehicle performance behavior.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Jackson. Darren G.. Goldberg. Joshua I.. 2007-09-24. Ice Detection Systems: A Historical Perspective. SAE Technical Paper Series. 1. en. Warrendale, PA. SAE International. 10.4271/2007-01-3325.
2. Unsettled Topics in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Icing (EPR2020008 Research Report) - SAE Mobilus. 2021-02-14. saemobilus.sae.org. 2020. 10.4271/epr2020008. Hann. Richard. Johansen. Tor. 226200723 . 11250/3113980. free.
3. Overland. J. E.. Pease. C. H.. Preisendorfer. R. W.. Comiskey. A. L.. December 1986. Prediction of Vessel Icing. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology. 25. 12. 1793–1806. 10.1175/1520-0450(1986)025<1793:povi>2.0.co;2. 1986JApMe..25.1793O. 0733-3021. free.
4. Homola. Matthew C.. Nicklasson. Per J.. Sundsbø. Per A.. 2006-11-01. Ice sensors for wind turbines. Cold Regions Science and Technology. en. 46. 2. 125–131. 10.1016/j.coldregions.2006.06.005. 2006CRST...46..125H . 0165-232X.
5. Book: Atmospheric Icing of Power Networks. 2008. Springer Netherlands. 978-1-4020-8530-7. Farzaneh. Masoud. Dordrecht. en. 10.1007/978-1-4020-8531-4.
6. Web site: Glossary of Meteorology.
7. Deiler. Christoph. Fezans. Nicolas. 2020-01-29. Performance-Based Ice Detection Methodology. Journal of Aircraft. 57. 2. 209–223. 10.2514/1.C034828. 220383280 .