Numerical simulation of rime ice accretion on a three-dimensional wind turbine blade using a Lagrangian approach

The accreted ice on wind turbine blades significantly deteriorates the blade aerodynamic performance and consequently the power production. The existing numerical simulations of blade icing have mostly been performed with the Eulerian approach for two-dimensional (2D) blade profiles, neglecting the possible three-dimensional (3D) rotating effect. This paper conducts a numerical simulation of rime ice accretion on a 3D wind turbine blade using the Lagrangian approach. The simulation results are validated through previously published experimental data. The icing characteristics along the blade radial direction are then investigated in detail. Significant radial airflow along the blade is observed, which demonstrates the necessity of 3D simulation. In addition, more droplets are found to impinge on the blade surface near the tip region, thereby producing severer ice accretion there. The accreted ice increases almost linearly along the blade radial direction in terms of both ice mass and maximum ice thickness.