Together with their industrial partners, researchers from the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) have, since the start of 2018, been investigating the possibilities of using ice-repellent coatings. This development would be particularly interesting for colder regions, where the cost of employing expensive heating measures on wind farms could be reduced.

The project will initially involve conducting experiments on ice and erosion test benches. The Fraunhofer Institute IWES, for instance, is testing the “icing conditions” at its Bremerhaven site, thereby analysing the properties of anti-icing coatings under thermal stresses. The researchers will specifically test whether a coating can provide permanent anti-icing protection for rotor blades.

Furthermore, the existing de-icing mechanisms are to be optimised in the OptAnIce project. For this purpose, an in-depth analysis of the ice growth mechanisms is to be conducted in order to subsequently be able to distribute and use the coating material as efficiently as possible. The results of the numerical simulations will be compared and validated through measurements in the test bench. The simulation tools developed are to be used later for load simulations.

If the project is successfully completed by 2020, the coatings could, in future, at least reduce the need for high-energy de-icing measures and facilitate the widespread use of wind farms even in icy weather conditions.