Analysis of Ice Accretion on Vertical Surfaces of Marine Vessels and Structures in Arctic Conditions

Abstract

The phenomenon of icing in cold climates is a challenging problem of engineering analysis, which involves heat transfer, phase change and multiphase flow with water droplets. This phenomenon has an important impact on the performance and operation of marine vessels, offshore structures, and others such as wind turbines, power lines, and aircraft surfaces. In this paper, a predictive icing model for large vertical surfaces of a marine vessel is developed theoretically. The total flux of sea-spray, including wave spray and wind spray, is analyzed during the spray process. By using heat, mass and salt concentration balances, the freezing fraction, temperature distribution, ice layer thickness, and liquid film thickness are determined. The results are compared with the numerical and experimental results of other studies. Good agreement between the theoretical predictions and other results demonstrates the improved accuracy of the proposed method over past models.