The Icing Characteristics of a 1.5 MW Wind Turbine Blade and Its Influence on the Blade Mechanical Properties

Ice accumulation significantly impacts the mechanical properties of wind turbine blades, affecting power output and reducing unit lifespan. This study explores the icing characteristics and their effects on a 1.5 megawatt (MW) wind turbine blade’s mechanical properties under various conditions, including wind speeds of 5 m per second (m/s) and 10 m per second, temperatures of −5 degrees centigrade (°C) and −10 degrees centigrade, and different liquid water contents, by using icing wind tunnel tests and structural statics analysis. The research reveals that ice predominantly forms in an irregular pattern on the leading edge of the blade. It is easy to produce corner ice and ice skating when the icing temperature and wind speed are higher, and the icing surface is rougher. When the other conditions remain unchanged, the decrease in temperature, an increase in wind speed, or a rise in liquid water content all lead to an increase in the average thickness of icing and the volume of icing at the leading edge, with the effect of the wind speed on the two being 147.8% and 147.9%, the effect of the liquid water content on the two being 39.9% and 53.5%, and the effect of the temperature on the two being 24.6% and 13.2%. The study finds that the blade tip experiences the maximum displacement in both iced and non-iced states, although the positions of peak equivalent stress and strain vary. The above study will also provide references for the design of new wind turbine blades and the anti-icing maintenance of wind turbine generator sets.