Numerical study of mixed-phase ice crystal icing based on Eulerian method

Ice crystals mainly cause compressor blades icing, and it is difficult to reveal the icing mechanism by experimental methods. Therefore, an Eulerian method was used to study ice crystal icing on a wedge airfoil in this paper. The calculation process was divided into three parts. First, the air flow field was calculated by Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model. Then the Eulerian method was used to obtain the trajectory of ice crystal and droplet. At last, the Messinger model was used to calculate the ice shape. The feasibility of the numerical method was verified by the NRC’s experiments. Then the effect of pressure on icing was analyzed. It could be found that the lower the pressure, the stronger the sublimation (evaporation) of ice crystals (droplets), and the more obvious the icing was. In addition, the ratio of LWC/TWC (Liquid Water Content/ Total Water Content) had a great effect on icing. It also could be found that too little or too much liquid water was not conductive for icing. The conclusions obtained by calculation were basically consistent with the NRC’s. The method in this paper could provide some reference for the subsequent study of engine icing mechanism or the design of anti-icing system