Determination of ice deposit shape and ice accretion rate on airfoil in atmospheric icing conditions and its effects on airfoil characteristics

Simulations of ice accretion on airfoil in icing conditions were conducted using ice accretion model implemented by authors in ANSYS FLUENT CFD solver. The computational model includes several sub-models intended for simulations of two-phase flow, determination of zones of water droplets impinging on the investigated surface, flow of water in a thin film on airfoil surface and heat balance in air-water-ice contact zone. The method operates in an iterative loop, which enables determination of effects of gradual deformation of aircraft surface on airflow over the surface, which has impact on distribution of collected water, flow of water film over the surface and local freezing rates. The implementation of the method in CFD solver made it necessary to complement the mathematical model of determination of local rates of deformation of aircraft surface with modification of computational mesh around the surface, which must conform, to the deformed surface. Results of simulated ice accretion on NACA 0012 airfoil were compared with results of experiment conducted in icing wind tunnel for a 420 s long process of ice accretion in steady-flow, steady angle-of-attack conditions. Close agreement of values and location of maximum ice thickness obtained in experiment and in the flow, simulations can be observed. For the airfoil deformed with ice, contour determination of its aerodynamic characteristics at several other angles of attack was conducted proving dramatic degradation of its aerodynamic characteristics due to ice deformation.