Numerical simulation of two-dimensional transmission line icing and analysis of factors that influence icing

Abstract

The formation of ice on electrical transmission lines poses an increasingly substantial safety hazard. In this study, a two-dimensional transmission line icing model was established to predict the shape of the icing. The airflow field and convective heat transfer were calculated using Fluent software, and a discrete phase model (DPM) based on the Lagrange method was used to calculate the water droplet collection coefficient on the surface of the transmission line. The Messinger thermodynamic model was programmed using the user-defined function (UDF) of Fluent, and the icing shape and icing thickness on the surface were calculated. The effects of wind speed, median volume diameter (MVD) of water droplets, temperature, liquid water content, wind direction angle, and electric field intensity on the icing characteristics of transmission lines were considered. The forced vibration of the transmission line was simulated using the UDF, and its influence on icing characteristics was thoroughly analyzed. Furthermore, the influence law of the vibration amplitude and frequency on the local water drop collection coefficient and ice shape was determined. The results elucidate the effects of the aforementioned parameters on transmission line icing. These findings provide a reference for future efforts to mitigate the impact of transmission line icing. Compared with other studies, this study has considered the influencing factors more fully, predicted the ice shape under different conditions more comprehensively, and can be more pertinently applied to different regions with different meteorological conditions.