Quantitative analysis of a two-dimensional ice accretion on airfoils

This paper presents the development of a code that can determine the shape of accreted ice on a 2D airfoil, verification of the code via quantitative parameters, and the variation in ice accretion according to ambient conditions. First, the 2D panel method is used as the aerodynamic solver, and Messinger’s model is used as the thermodynamic model. Second, the code is quantitatively verified through comparison with existing ice accretion analysis codes under rime, mixture, and glaze ice conditions. The parameters for comparison are the cross-sectional area of the ice, maximum ice thickness, ice heading, and distribution of the ice thickness measured on the airfoil surface. The verification shows that the developed code yields results of similar accuracy to existing analysis codes. Finally, ice shapes, depending on variations in the ambient conditions, are determined and investigated based on these parameters for comparison. The selected ambient condition parameters are freestream velocity, LWC, and temperature. The investigation is carried out for rime and glaze conditions. Increasing the freestream velocity produces an ice horn that increases the area over which the ice encounters liquid water in the air. The ambient temperature is the factor that alters ice accretion behavior; increasing the ambient temperature turns rime ice into glaze ice. Ice accretion area is increased at higher LWC. The LWC and the ice cross-sectional area show a linear relationship.