Design and performance of an open-circuit marine icing wind tunnel

Abstract

Marine icing presents a challenge for ship and floating structure operations in high latitudes. Without mitigation, ice accumulation can lead to structural damage and loss of stability. This problem is not new but there has been renewed interest in icing mitigation in recent years as shipping and resource exploration have pushed towards the poles. To investigate the phenomena associated with marine icing, an open-circuit icing wind tunnel was built with the express goal of evaluating coatings designed to mitigate ice accretion on marine structure topsides including flat and tubular shapes. The wind tunnel was designed to provide wind speeds up to 15 m/s in air temperatures as low as −22 °C. A system was devised to introduce fresh or salt water into the wind tunnel to simulate of freezing spray or heavy precipitation.