Development of a 3D Eulerian/Lagrangian Aircraft Icing Simulation Solver Based on OpenFOAM

Area of Science:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Ice Accretion Physics

Background:

• Aircraft icing poses significant safety risks.
• Accurate simulation of ice accretion is crucial for aircraft design and safety.
• Existing methods struggle with complex geometries and varied droplet sizes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel 3D icing simulation code.
• To enhance the prediction accuracy of ice accretion on airfoils and wings.
• To incorporate advanced droplet tracking for Super-cooled Large Droplets (SLD).

Main Methods:

• Developed a 3D icing simulation code within the OpenFOAM framework.
• Employed a hybrid Cartesian/body-fitted meshing strategy for complex geometries.
• Implemented Eulerian and Lagrangian droplet tracking methods for different droplet sizes.
• Utilized Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations and the Myers model for ice accumulation.

Main Results:

• The simulation code demonstrated feasibility and accuracy in predicting ice shapes.
• Validated against 3D simulations of 2D geometries using both Eulerian and Lagrangian methods.
• Successfully simulated ice accretion on an M6 wing, showcasing full 3D capability.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D icing simulation code is a viable tool for predicting ice accretion.
• The hybrid meshing and dual droplet tracking methods improve simulation fidelity.
• The code provides a robust platform for further research in aircraft icing.