Application of Type 4 Fluid
At Ultimate, we provide the highest quality airline deicing services tailored to meet each of our customers needs.
When there are freezing conditions and precipitation, it is critical that an aircraft must be de-iced. Failure to do so means the surface of the aircraft's wings will be too rough to provide for the smooth flow of air and thereby greatly degrading the ability of the wing to generate lift, possibly resulting in a crash. If large pieces of ice separate once the aircraft is in motion, they can be ingested into turbine engines or impact moving propellers and cause catastrophic failure. Thick ice can also lock up the control surfaces and prevent them from moving properly. Because of this potentially severe consequence, de-icing is performed at airports where temperatures are likely to dip below the freezing point. De-icing techniques are also employed to ensure that engine inlets and various sensors on the outside of the aircraft are clear of contamination caused by ice or snow.
Though there are several different formulations of deicing fluid, they fall into two basic categories: Heated glycol diluted with water for deicing and snow/frost removal, also referred to as "Newtonian fluids", and unheated, undiluted glycol that has been thickened (imagine half-set gelatin), also referred to as "Non-Newtonian fluids", that is applied as an agent to retard the future development of ice or to prevent falling snow or sleet from accumulating. In some cases both types of fluid are applied, first the heated glycol/water mixture to remove contaminants, followed by the unheated thickened fluid to keep ice from reforming before the aircraft takes off. This is referred to as "a two-step procedure".