3D Numerical Simulation of Ice Accretion on a Rotating Surface

A novel 3D mathematical model for water film runback and icing on a rotating surface is established in this work, where both inertial forces caused by the rotation and shear forces due to the air flow are taken into account. The mathematical model of the water film runback and energy conservation of phase transition process is established, with a cyclical average method applied to simulate the unsteady parameters variation at angles of attack. Ice accretion on a conical spinner surface is simulated and the results are compared with the experimental data to validate the presented model. Then Ice accretion on a cowling surface is numerically investigated. Results show that a higher temperature would correspond to a larger runback ice area and thinner ice layer for glaze ice. Rotation would enhance the icing process, while it would not significantly affect the droplet collection efficiency for an axi-symmetric surface. In the case at angle of attack, the effect of rotation on ice shape is appreciable, ice would present a symmetric shape, while in a stationary case the shape is asymmetric.