Technical Paper
Developing a Novel Ice Protection System for Wind Turbine Blades Using Vibrations of Both Short and Long Wavelengths
2015-06-15
2015-01-2081
Icing conditions in cold regions of the world may cause problems for wind turbine operations, since accreted ice can reduce the efficiency of power generation and create concerns regarding ice-shedding. This paper covers modelling studies and some experimental development for an ongoing ice protection system that provides both deicing and anti-icing actions for wind turbine blades. The modelling process contained two main sections. The first part involved simulation of vibrations with very short wavelength or ultrasonic guided waves (UGW) on the blade to determine optimal excitation frequency and transducer configuration. This excitation creates horizontal shear stress at the interface between ice and blade and focuses energy at the leading edge for de-bonding ice layers.
