Determination of melting coverage and energy demand in electro-thermal de-icing of wind turbine blades

The application of electro-thermal de-icing in wind turbine blades is constrained by its high energy consumption. Intermittent arrangement of heating components is an effective approach for reducing energy consumption. However, under fluctuating environmental conditions, the melting coverage between adjacent heating resistors often becomes discontinuous, resulting in insufficient melting. Therefore， maintaining continuous melting coverage while minimizing power consumption remains a key challenge. To address this issue, this paper investigates the melting characteristics of the ice layer based on the thermal field evolution of a unit heating resistor and analyzes the de-icing energy demand under different operating conditions. First, a thermodynamic model of the ice layer under unit-resistor heating was established, and an index E was introduced to characterize the melting coverage induced by a unit heating resistor. Then, the effects of heating power, wind speed, and ambient temperature on the E were analyzed using numerical simulations and experiments. Finally, a regression model relating the E to the key parameters was established using the response surface methodology, thereby determining the energy consumption required for de-icing under different conditions. The results indicate that heating power is the dominant factor affecting E . Based on the regression model, the required power thresholds to maintain continuous melting coverage under different conditions are determined, thereby avoiding energy waste. Additionally, higher wind speeds and lower ambient temperatures both significantly limit the expansion of the melting coverage. Under extreme conditions of low temperature and high wind speed, even increasing the heating power may fail to maintain continuous melting coverage.