Optical Methods for Measuring Icing of Wind Turbine Blades

Ivan Kabardin,Maxim Gordienko,Sergey Dvoynishnikov,Vladislav Zuev,Grigoriy Gusev,Valery Okulov,Vadim Ledovsky,Sergey Kakaulin

doi:10.3390/en14206485

Abstract

The development of wind-power engineering in the Arctic has led to increasing wind turbines in cold climatic zones. A problem operating wind turbines in cold conditions is the icing of blades. The icing of the blades leads to a change in rotor aerodynamics, a decrease in energy production, the additional weight of blades, and load on the rotor, which increase wear and reduce the lifetime of the turbines. The growth of icing on the blades threatens the uncontrollable separation of ice pieces from the blade edges, and the operation is unsafe. Non-contact methods for detecting icing on the blades need to prevent critical operating modes with ice formation on the blades. This review analyzes methods for detecting icing. The advantages and disadvantages of various optical methods are presented to give valuable insights on ice prevention for wind turbines operating in cold regions.

Highlights

Europe could have wind energy power of 323 GW in 2030 [1]
In these regions, the high potential of wind energy is often associated with extreme weather conditions and icing of the rotating parts of the wind turbine
From this review of the concept and working principles of ice detection methods that can be adapted for the blades of wind turbines, it appears that each method has its own advantages and disadvantages

Summary

Introduction

Europe could have wind energy power of 323 GW in 2030 [1]. The use of wind turbines is economically efficient and environmentally friendly. According to the latest forecasts, 65 to 75 gigawatts of wind energy will be generated in cold climates by 2022, which would mean an increase of as much as 50 per cent since the end of 2017 [3]. These are the wind areas with a high density of cold air, which may be considered as an advantage for generating more power from wind energy. In these regions, the high potential of wind energy is often associated with extreme weather conditions and icing of the rotating parts of the wind turbine

Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion