Study on Anti-Icing Performance of Biogas-Residue Nano-Carbon Coating for Wind-Turbine Blade

Abstract

Icing is a common phenomenon in nature and has a serious impact on wind turbines. Anti-icing coatings have become a major focus of industrial applications and academic research. In this study, a hydrophobic nano-carbon coating was prepared from corn-straw-biogas residue. The characterization results of the SEM, BET, FTIR, and XRD analyses showed that the hydrophobic nano-carbon has good pore structure and crystal structure. The hydrophobic and anti-icing effects of the carbon were confirmed by contact-angle measurements and anti-icing experiments. The ice thicknesses of the hydrophobic nano-carbon-coated aluminum-alloy blade (AAB) and bakelite blade (BB) were found to decrease by 1.20 mm and 1.10 mm, respectively, compared with those without coating; their weights decreased by 2.00 g and 1.31 g, respectively. The ratios of the icing areas before and after the hydrophobic nano-carbon coating of the AAB and BB were 8.15% and 9.65%, respectively. In brief, this method is a more effective technique for creating anti-icing coatings on wind-turbine blades and other outdoor apparatus.

A Review of Wind Turbine Icing and Anti/De-Icing Technologies

“…Hydrophobic materials, similar to lotus leaves, have unique properties such as waterproofing, anti-icing and self-cleaning ones [97]. When the hydrophobic material is applied to the blade surface, the lower surface energy of the coating will cause weak adhesion between the icing and the coating, preventing the water film icing.…”