Wind Turbine Icing Physics and Anti-/De-icing Technology - Chapter 6 - Hydro-/ice-phobic coatings and materials for wind turbine icing mitigation

Elsevier, Wind Turbine Icing Physics and Anti-/De-icing Technology, Wind Energy Engineering, 2022, Pages 135-168
Authors: 
Hui Hu, Linyue Gao, Yang Liu

In this chapter, the potentials of various promising hydro-/ice-phobic coatings/materials for wind turbine mitigation are illustrated and evaluated in great detail. The state-of-the-art hydro-/ice-phobic coatings/materials available in the market (or underdevelopment) can be generally divided into three categories: (1) superhydrophobic surfaces with micro-/nano-scale textures, (2) slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) with a layer of liquid lubricant (which is immiscible with water) sandwiched between ice and solid substrate materials, and (3) soft materials/surfaces with ultra-low ice adhesion strength and good mechanical durability. While the hydro-/ice-phobic coatings/materials have shown excellent performances in preventing ice formation under static icing conditions, there remain challenges when they are applied onto blade surfaces of wind turbines and exposed to dynamic impact icing conditions. Another challenge that limits the use of these anti/de-icing coatings for wind turbine icing mitigation is their poor durability under harsh icing conditions. To overcome these challenges, a novel hybrid anti-/de-icing strategy has been developed by combining minimum surface heating near blade leading-edge and hydro-/ice-phobic coatings to achieve effective icing control with minimized energy input for wind turbine icing mitigation.