Wind tunnel tests of the rime icing characteristics of a straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine

Abstract

For the wind turbines installed in the cold and humid regions, icing accretion on the blade surface seriously degrades its performance. The Straight-Bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (SB-VAWT) is also troubled by the problem. For exploring the characteristics of icing, the icing wind tunnel tests have been carried out in this paper. An icing wind tunnel experimental system is designed and fabricated. The experimental parameters in the icing wind tunnel system are measured. A rotor test stand with two blades of NACA0018 airfoil is designed and amounted in the icing wind tunnel. The icing test is conducted under the different tip speed ratios and the rime ice condition. The experimental results show that the rotational speed of the blade has significant effects on the characteristics of icing. When the tip speed ratio is lower than 1, the ice layer covers in the whole blade surface and grows layer by layer. As the tip speed ratio is higher than 1, the ice layer mainly concentrates in the vicinity of the leading edge. Three factors, which are the relative angle of attack, the rotational position of blade and the centrifugal force, influencing on the characteristics of icing are analyzed and discussed.