Cleaner Ice Control for Wind Turbines
Researchers have developed a chemical-free method to keep wind turbine blades warm and functioning.
Wind turbines are widely used to power various establishments, but their energy-harnessing capacity is significantly reduced during cold weather due to ice accumulation on the blades.
A team of researchers has developed a deicing method that avoids the use of environmentally harmful chemicals while minimizing energy consumption.
Their work is based on previous studies of surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD), which uses an electrical current to control air flow and heat around an object.
Using numerical simulations, the team calculated the heat distribution around wind turbine blades treated with SDBD, with time increments as small as a nanosecond to a minute.
Chemical-free deicing method for wind turbines.
Author's summary: Chemical-free deicing for wind turbines.