Impact of Icing on the Flow Field of Wind Turbine Blades with Different Airfoils

The increases in the demands of exploiting and utilizing ocean resources around the world have facilitated the rapid developments of offshore facilities, such as offshore wind turbines. In high-latitude areas, ice accretion on the blade surface is a common phenomenon due to the cold and humid environment resulted from vaporing and splashing of seawater. Icing event changes the blade profile and destroys the aerodynamic characteristics of airfoil blade. Iced blades not only increase weight of rotor but also enhance the possibility of wind turbine collapse. In the present study, based on the airfoil blades of NACA0018 and S809, icing tests of the airfoils in the flow field was carried out. First, experiments on airfoil blade icing are conducted at different angles of attack in a self-developed icing wind tunnel. Then based on the experimental icing profile of blade, three-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out. The Liutex method was applied to identify vortices for clean and iced blade, and the results were analyzed. It was validated that the Liutex method in vortex identification was efficient. The research findings provide a foundation for further exploration to enhance safety and efficiency of offshore wind turbine in high-latitude regions.