Impact of Blade Ice Coverage on Wind Turbine Power Generation Efficiency: A Combined CFD and Wind Tunnel Study
Open Access
Abstract
This study investigates aerodynamic degradation and power loss mechanisms in iced wind turbine blades using a hybrid methodology integrating high-fidelity CFD simulations (ANSYS Fluent, FENSAP-ICE, STAR-CCM+ with SST k-ω turbulence model and shallow-water icing theory) with controlled wind tunnel experiments (10–15 m/s). Three ice accretion types, glaze, mixed, and rime, on NACA0012 airfoils are quantified. Glaze ice at the leading edge induces the most severe degradation, reducing lift by 34.9% and increasing drag by 97.2% at 10 m/s. STAR-CCM+ analyses reveal critical pressure anomalies and ice morphology-dependent flow separation patterns. These findings inform the optimization of anti-icing strategies for cold-climate wind farms.Keywords
Funding Information
- National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFC2816304, CBG2N21-2-2)
- High-tech marine scientific research projects (2024YFC2816304, CBG2N21-2-2)
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