Effects of ambient temperature and wind speed on icing characteristics and anti-icing energy demand of a blade airfoil for wind turbine

Abstract

The icing on wind turbines causes liability issues in cold and humid climate regions with extreme climatic conditions. Accordingly, in this study, numerical simulation is employed to investigate the icing characteristics and anti-icing energy demand of a blade airfoil for wind turbines under various icing conditions. The findings indicate that the distribution range of ice accretion at 268 K is broader than that at 253 K. The maximum water film thickness experiences a significant increase at 6–8 m/s, while exhibiting a slight change at 8–14 m/s for an ambient temperature of 268 K. As the wind speed rises (6–14 m/s), the maximum heat flux demanded for anti-icing increases by 2717 W/m2 and 745 W/m2 for 253 K and 268 K, respectively. The heat flux demanded for anti-icing on the positions (0–0.02 m) of the blade airfoil declines sharply, as the latent heat released by solidification elevates the blade surface temperature. The heat flux demanded for anti-icing on the positions (0.06–0.18 m) of the blade airfoil rises at 6–8 m/s and diminishes at 14 m/s due to the change in growth rate of water film caused by airflow. This research contributes to the development of anti-icing method design for wind turbines.