Review of Wind Turbine Icing Modelling Approaches

Fahed Martini, Leidy Tatiana Contreras Montoya and Adrian Ilinca
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Fahed Martini: Wind Energy Research Laboratory (WERL), University of Québec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Leidy Tatiana Contreras Montoya: Wind Energy Research Laboratory (WERL), University of Québec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada
Adrian Ilinca: Wind Energy Research Laboratory (WERL), University of Québec at Rimouski, Rimouski, QC G5L 3A1, Canada

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-26

Abstract: When operating in cold climates, wind turbines are vulnerable to ice accretion. The main impact of icing on wind turbines is the power losses due to geometric deformation of the iced airfoils of the blades. Significant energy losses during the wind farm lifetime must be estimated and mitigated. Finding solutions for icing calls on several areas of knowledge. Modelling and simulation as an alternative to experimental tests are primary techniques used to account for ice accretion because of their low cost and effectiveness. Several studies have been conducted to replicate ice growth on wind turbine blades using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) during the last decade. While inflight icing research is well developed and well documented, wind turbine icing is still in development and has its peculiarities. This paper surveys and discusses the models, approaches and methods used in ice accretion modelling in view of their application in wind energy while summarizing the recent research findings in Surface Roughness modelling and Droplets Trajectory modelling. An An additional section discusses research on the modelling of electro-thermal icing protection systems. This paper aims to guide researchers in wind engineering to the appropriate approaches, references and tools needed to conduct reliable icing modelling for wind turbines.

Keywords: wind turbine icing; modelling of ice accretion; icing simulation; CFD (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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