Abstract
In cold and humid regions, ice accretion sometimes develops on the blades of wind turbines. Blade icing reduces the power generation of the wind turbine and affects the safe operation of the wind farm. For this paper, ultrasonic micro-vibration was researched as an effective de-icing method to remove ice from the wind turbine blade surface and improve the efficiency of wind turbine power generation. A blade segment with NACA0018 airfoil and the hollow structure at the leading edge was designed. The modal analysis of the blade was simulated by ANSYS, and the de-icing vibration mode was selected. Based on the simulation results, the blade segment sample with PZT patches was machined, and its natural frequencies were measured with an impedance analyzer. A return-flow icing wind tunnel system, and a device used to measure the adhesive strength of ice covering the airfoil blade, were designed and manufactured. The experiments on the adhesive strength of the ice were carried out under the excitation of the ultrasonic vibration. The experimental results show that the adhesive strength of the ice, which was generated under the dynamic flow field condition, was lower than the ice generated by water under the static flow field condition. Under the excitation of the ultrasonic vibration, the adhesive strength of the ice decreased. When the excitation frequency was 21.228 kHz, the adhesive strength was the lowest, which was 0.084 MPa. These research findings lay the theoretical and experimental foundations for researching in-depth the application of the ultrasonic de-icing technology to wind turbines.
Highlights
In recent years, policies on energy efficiency and energy-saving have been made in order to decrease energy consumption [1]
As an energy source, has the benefits of being clean, free and renewable. It has been widely used in the field of wind power generation, and wind turbines have the advantages of a short building period and flexibility of installation
When wind turbines work in cold and humid regions, ice accretion often develops on the surface of the blades [5,6,7]
Summary
Policies on energy efficiency and energy-saving have been made in order to decrease energy consumption [1] Renewable energies, such as wind energy and solar energy are receiving increasing attention. When wind turbines work in cold and humid regions, ice accretion often develops on the surface of the blades [5,6,7]. It changes the airfoil profile of the blade, which leads to the degradation of the aerodynamic performance of the wind turbine and the reduction of power generation efficiency. The icing event increases the weight of the blade and shortens the lifespan of the wind turbine [8]
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