Experimental Investigation of Ice Accretion on Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

In this paper, ice accretion on a wind turbine blade with a NACA 63415 airfoil is investigated with experimental techniques. Several different angles of attack, from 0° to 90°, and wind velocities, 3 m/s, 4 m/s and 5 m/s are studied. Tests are conducted in a climatic wind chamber with a fan and two spray nozzles. The largest quantity of ice accumulation on the blade was 7.2 kg, at an angle of attack of 90°. The results of this paper provide valuable new experimental data for ice accretion on wind turbine blades.