Experimental Investigation of an Infrared Deicing System for Wind Power Application in a Cold Climate

Icing of wind turbine blades poses a great challenge for wind farms in cold climates, this challenge is addressed by implementing various deicing practices that require significant cost to operate. Thus, alternative and potential solutions are needed to improve wind power production in cold climate. The present study is investigates the effectiveness of a new deicing system consisting of infrared heaters. Two types of heaters were selected based on wavelength, input power, and investment cost. The heaters were tested on blades covered with soft rime ice. A thermal camera was used to image the deicing procedure together with a load cell to measure the weight of the ice melted. It was found that a combination of two different types of heaters provides effective deicing at a distance of 1.5 m compared with multiple units of the same type of heaters. It was observed that the infrared deicing system has a larger area of heat distribution, which is one of the major advantages compared with traditional systems.