Scaling Effects On Flow Field And Ice Accretion For A Rotating Wind Turbine Blade

Abstract

A numerical study is presented in this paper to investigate blade sections (NACA 4415) with a scaling analysis. For variable rotational speeds (up to 60 RPMs) and operating/icing conditions for both similar models, the effects on the flow field, droplet impingement and ice accretion process are obtained. The numerical simulations are conducted using ANSYS FENSAP ICE software. Effects of the relative flow Reynolds number and speed ratio over two similar blade sections are investigated. Flow velocity contours, pressure distributions, droplet impingement/collection efficiencies and ice shapes/quantities are presented. The results of this paper provide useful insight to predict icing on wind turbine blades including scaling effects among different blade configurations.