Numerical simulation of ice accretion on airfoil

Numerical simulation of ice accretion on an airfoil was conducted based on a combined model of Euler-Lagrange method and porous media model. The flow field around the airfoil, the trajectories of super-cooled water droplet, the distribution of local collection efficiency, and the accretion process of ice on the airfoil surface were obtained under different conditions. The significant effects of attack angle and super-cooled droplet diameter on the distribution of impingement region, local collection efficiency, and thickness and mass of ice accretion were found. The results show that the bigger the attack angle and droplet diameter are, the bigger the local collection efficiency is. The ice accrete on the leading edge, especially near the stagnation point. The layer thickness increases with time. The ice layer mass accreted on the lower surface become larger with the increase of attack angle. The ice layer mass for the attack angle 15° is less than that for the smaller attack angle.