An Experimental Study of Surface Icing Characteristics on Offshore Wind Turbine Blades: Effects of Salinity and Liquid Water Content

Offshore wind turbine blades operating in cold climates are frequently affected by surface icing, which compromises aerodynamic performance and reduces power output. To address this challenge, the present study conducted controlled icing wind tunnel experiments to investigate how salinity and liquid water content (LWC) influence ice formation on the S809 airfoil surface. Results indicate that increased salinity substantially inhibits ice accretion: as salinity rises from 0‰ to 35‰, the total icing area rate drops by approximately 20.5% within 6 min, and the maximum ice thickness declines from 17.21 mm to 6.03 mm. Conversely, LWC emerges as a dominant factor intensifying icing severity: raising LWC from 0.5 g/m3 to 1.5 g/m3 leads to a 135% increase in icing area and an increase in maximum ice thickness from 7.69 mm to 18.17 mm. A notable synergistic interaction is observed—higher LWC enhances the inhibitory effect of salinity on ice formation. These findings offer valuable insights into the icing dynamics under marine atmospheric conditions and provide a theoretical foundation for the development of anti-icing strategies for offshore wind turbine blades.