COMPUTER MODELING OF ATMOSPHERIC ICE ACCRETION

Abstract

A computer model is described to compute the amount of ice accretion on an object under a variety of initial conditions. Numerical techniques are best applied to these problems because of time dependent effects governing the amount of ice collected and also the variety of initial conditions that can lead to ice accumulation. The helicopter rotor icing problem adds an additional complexity since the velocity along the rotor blade varies over a wide range strongly affecting the amounts of ice collected at different blade positions. The physics of ice accretion is reviewed and the accounting for time-dependence in the computer model is described. Some model results are presented and indicate the dependence of ice accretion on velocity, droplet sizes, cloud liquid water content, and temperature for a cylindrical object of constant size. (Author)