For an aircraft, rotorcraft or jet engine to obtain a type 
design certification, it must be demonstrated that it can 
sustain safe flight into known or inadvertent icing 
conditions. The icing certification process involves CFD 
(Computational Fluid Dynamics) analyses, wind and icing tunnel 
testing (EFD: Experimental Fluid Dynamics), all considered 
“simulation”, and final demonstration of compliance through 
Flight Testing in Natural Icing (FFD: Flight Fluid Dynamics). 
Modern 3D CFD-Icing methods such as FENSAP-ICE, working as a 
direct extension of CFD-Aero technologies, have become an 
indispensable, if not a primary tool, in the certification 
process. They are rapidly replacing 2D and 2.5D methods 
(airfoils don’t fly; aircraft do). They enable analyzing the 
aircraft (fuselage, wing, engines, nacelles, cockpit windows, 
sensors, probes, etc.) as a system and not as an assemblage of 
isolated components. The judicial integration of CFD-EFD 
simulation tools provides a cost-effective aid-to-design-and-
to-certification, when made part of a well-structured 
compliance plan. CbA (Certification-by-Analysis) being a 
current “hot” subject; this course puts it into real practice, 
providing efficient tools and showing examples of capabilities 
and limitations.

The course will show how modern 3D icing codes are 
“predictive” as they are based on highly validated physical 
models (Scientific VVV  lecture). Just as one example, 
critical ice shapes identification and corresponding 
aerodynamic penalties based on 2D airfoil calculations may be 
inaccurate if not altogether misleading as wings have breaks, 
sweep, twist, spanwise flows, propeller and engine effects, 
etc. that greatly affect/modify/delay stall and its 
propagation. 

The course will also show how Reduced Order Models can make 
fully-3D calculations inexpensive (yielding 3D CFD with 10-20 
million points + impingement + icing + performance in 1/100th 
of a second, after the calculation of an appropriate number of 
“snapshots”: this is even faster than 2D panel methods 
calibrated codes!) and enable rapid identification of 
aerodynamic and thermodynamic critical points in a structured 
way and not a heuristic one. 

The inclusion of icing requirements at the aerodynamic design 
stage allows a more comprehensive exploration of the combined 
aerodynamics/icing envelopes, optimized IPS design, and 
focused/reduced wind tunnels, icing tunnels and flight tests. 
The end result is a faster design, faster testing, faster and 
more complete natural icing campaign, and a safer aircraft 
that is easier to certificate and that remains problem free 
during its lifecycle. 

This course is structured to be of equal interest to 
aerodynamicists, icing, environmental systems and flight 
simulation engineers, regulators and Designated Engineering 
Representatives. Detailed knowledge of CFD is not necessary. 
The lectures cover the major aspects of in-flight icing 
simulation, ice protection systems and handling quality 
issues. The instructors bring an amalgam of knowledge, as 
scientists who have developed codes in current use and 
engineers with certification experience combining CFD-EFD and 
FFD, along with cost-effective simulation methods widely used 
internationally for certification of aircraft for flight into 
known icing.