Numerical Simulation of Engine Nacelle Icing with a Propeller

Abstract

For the icing phenomenon in the nacelle of a propeller aero-engine, this paper uses numerical simulations to study the subcooled water droplet impact and icing characteristics on the propeller blade and nacelle lip at different incoming velocities, and analyzes the icing distribution on the surfaces of the propeller blade and nacelle lip. The results show that the rotational speed and the twist angle of the blade both have obvious effect on the collection and icing of water droplets, and the collection of supercooled water droplets on the surface of the propeller blade is not only related to the incoming flow velocity, but also to the position of the blade in the spanwise direction. Besides, in the area close to the propeller root, the icing thickness increases significantly with the increase of the incoming flow velocity, and the maximum icing thickness with the incoming flow velocity 180m/s is 5 times that of 60m/s. However, the maximum icing thickness differs by only 24% under different inflow velocities in the area near the propeller tip.