Natural Ice-Melting Mechanism of Wind Turbine Blades in Hilly and Mountainous Wind Farms

Wind energy resources are abundant in cold mountainous areas, where wind farms are predominantly situated in hilly terrains characterized by high altitude and low temperatures, leading to significant atmospheric liquid water content (LWC) and heightened susceptibility of wind turbine blades to icing. This study aims to analyze the ice-melting mechanism of wind turbine blades under natural conditions, leveraging winter meteorological observations from the Hubei Jieshan Wind Farm. A mathematical model of blade ice-melting is developed based on heat transfer theory, incorporating considerations of ice-water phase transitions and the effects of elevation-induced air pressure variations in hilly regions. The influence of wind speed and ambient temperature on ice melting is studied through finite element simulation by calculating the temperature distribution of the blade. Comparison and validation with experimental results further establish the relationship between blade temperature distribution and environmental conditions during ice-melting. Findings indicate that the leading edge of the blade exhibits the highest temperature, while the middle section experiences the lowest. Ice-melting dynamics are significantly influenced by wind speed, with varying effects across different temperature ranges: Between temperatures of -3°C to 0°C, increased wind speeds correspond to greater ice thickness and accelerated ice accumulation rates. Conversely, within the range of 0°C to 4°C, higher wind speeds result in reduced ice thickness and heightened ice melting rates. For wind farms situated in boundary mountainous regions as described, complete ice-melting occurs at a blade temperature of 3°C, reducing surface ice thickness to zero.