Kilfrost - News/Media
WORLD-FIRST KILFROST FLUID LAUNCH SIGNALS IN-FLIGHT DE-ICING REVOLUTION
Archived on: Monday 1st August 2011
The original innovator of the TKS system has just received FAA approval for an exciting new fluid, which is the first revolution of in-flight de-icing for over 40 years.
Kilfrost – the K in TKS – received FAA approval for its new TKSsustain fluid for use in association with Quest Aircraft Kodiak 100 model after it passed rigorous flammability, compatibility and in-flight testing. Testing is currently underway for several other original equipment manufacturers with anticipated approvals taking place this winter season.
The exciting new, environmentally-friendly fluid is based on Bio-PDO rather than the more traditional ethylene glycol, so is set to radically change the way that general aviators think about de-icing fluid. "Because the fluid is based on glycol from a sustainable source it's much more environmentally friendly, but it also boasts significant handling benefits and ease of storage – in fact the toxicity is so low that containers don't even have to be marked with a hazard symbol†explained Kilfrost's Chief Executive, Gary Lydiate.
"The fluid is also more ecological than ethylene glycol-based alternatives, with testing data suggesting a huge 65% increase in the speed of biodegradation, and the high ‘green' glycol content ensures the fluid is a lower density which impacts positively on an aircraft's weight – sometimes reducing fluid weight by as much as 10%†he added.
And yet these increases do not come at the cost of performance, with the fluid's freezing point -70ËšC rather than the -60ËšC expected from generic TKS fluids, and optimal viscosity provided through a wide temperature range which gives very dependable de-icing performance in varying icing conditions.
The result of an exciting partnership with DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts, Kilfrost's world-renowned Research & Development team developed TKSsustain from DuPont Tate & Lyle's corn sugar-based glycol Susterra™. This is not the first time that the company has led the way by combining forces with other industry-leaders, in fact Kilfrost is actually the ‘K' in TKS and in a joint venture in 1942 developed the TKS in-flight de-icing system, later working with partners Tekalemit and Sheepridge Stokes to introduce permeable membranes to aircrafts' leading edges, thereby increasing performance.
Kilfrost has also announced a strategic partnership with CAV Aerospace to develop future TKS technology, and its Research & Development team is working hard to create the next new-generation fluid with serious green credentials.
Kilfrost is adding TKSsustain to its TKS portfolio which includes the global industry benchmark fluid TKS 406B, as well as TKS 80 and R328 which are used primarily in the UK. The company enjoys a diverse customer-base across 50 countries and five continents. With facilities in the UK, Europe, North America, and Japan, the company offers a precise logistics solution 24-hours a day, whatever the conditions. For further information about Kilfrost, please visit http://www.kilfrost.com/, email info@kilfrost.com or call +44 (0)1434 320332.
-ENDS-
For further editorial information, please contact:
Felicity Owen | Zen Communications |+44 1691 610689 | felicity@zen-communications.co.uk
Francesca McFeely | 1-877-U-KILFROST | Francesca.McFeely@kilfrost.com
