{"id":338,"date":"2015-02-10T08:43:31","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T13:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/2015\/02\/how-chemicals-can-help-airplanes-takeoff-in-winter-weather\/"},"modified":"2015-02-10T08:43:31","modified_gmt":"2015-02-10T13:43:31","slug":"how-chemicals-can-help-airplanes-takeoff-in-winter-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intranet.chemservice.com\/news\/how-chemicals-can-help-airplanes-takeoff-in-winter-weather\/","title":{"rendered":"How chemicals can help airplanes takeoff in winter weather"},"content":{"rendered":"

When winter weather blankets cities and suburbs in feet of snow and presents temperatures that stay below freezing for weeks on end, there's only one option to help airplanes get airbound – chemical deicers. <\/p>\n

Why deicing airplanes is important <\/strong>
\nIf you work in a chemical lab that works on pesticides or drugs, you may have forgotten your basic physics, but if a plane's wings aren't specific shapes the aircraft won't fly. When ice and snow build up on the wings and body of the plane they interfere with aerodynamics of the aircraft and put everyone on board in danger. <\/p>\n

U.S. airline pilot Daniel Fahl explained on CNN that without chemical deicers a plane wouldn't be able to fly. <\/p>\n

"Not just removing, but also preventing a build-up of snow and ice on the wings and tail of an airplane is crucial for a safe take-off," Fahl wrote on CNN's website<\/a>. "A plane's wings and rear tail component are engineered with a very specific shape in order to provide proper lift for flight. Snow and ice on these areas in essence changes their shape and disrupts the airflow across the surface, hindering the ability to create lift."<\/p>\n

Deicing chemicals aren't like shovels or sand that are used to temporarily to remove the issue, but rather some are designed to adhere to the wing and prevent ice build-up in-flight and at high speeds. The plane also uses hot air and other systems to prevent ice build-up to protect the plane in-flight. This function is critical in the winter as well as the summer at high altitudes. <\/p>\n

What's in chemical deicers? <\/strong>
\nDeicers allow a plane to maintain its perfectly engineered aerodynamic shape, but what makes them so effective against the snow and other elements that can bury entire regions under snow and cause hundreds of car accidents on icy roads? It's not salt. <\/p>\n

Although salt is a popular option on roads for its ice-melting and friction-adding qualities, chloride salts are too corrosive for a plane, the American Chemical Society explains. Calcium, magnesium, potassium or sodium chloride salts would damage the airplane. It happens just as road salt can eat away at a car over time, except the damage would be much more expensive and potentially dangerous. <\/p>\n

As Fahl explained, a simple deicer mixture is water and glycol. Propylene glycol (CH3<\/sub>CHOHCH2<\/sub>OH) and ethylene glycol (HOCH2<\/sub>CH2<\/sub>OH) are major components of many aircraft deicers, as they work to lower the freezing point of a substance rather than melting it in a potentially corrosive way, the ACS explained. The glycol mixtures may make up as much as 70 percent of a deicing mixture along with chemicals such as calcium magnesium acetate, sodium formate or sodium acetate. The ACS explained that deicers also may include a "surfactant, polymer thickening agent, pH buffer, corrosion inhibitor, flame retardant, or dye."<\/p>\n

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These chemical additives can have profound affects on water. Both are viscous liquids that can dramatically reduce the freezing point. Propylene glycol drops the freezing point of water to about -60 degrees Celsius, while ethylene glycol brings it down to about -50 degrees Celsius. <\/p>\n

Deicing chemicals can also be used on airport runways and other parts of the apron. There are four types of chemical deicers used at airports with varying dyes and viscosities. Deicing as well as the anti-icing chemicals that Fahl alluded to that help prevent mid-flight freezing, can be applied hot, at near boiling temperatures. <\/p>\n

Union Carbide, Lyondell and Clariant are among the major deicer providers for airports. It's a growing business. However, there have been concerns that deicers are dangerous to the environment. They can contaminate waterways and ecosystems near the airport, which underscores the importance of proper used. Additionally, some animals are attracted to the poisonous substance because of its sweet flavor. <\/p>\n