Melting and Accumulation Characteristics of Ice Crystals in Aero‑engines

Ice crystal icing has the potential to induce engine damage or flameout，posing a serious threatening to flight safety. Therefore，it is of great importance to improve the precision of ice crystal icing prediction. Considering the effect of blade thickness，we develop a numerical model to simulate the entire process of ice crystal icing. The influences of airflow parameters，ice crystal suction position and blade thickness are examined on the characteristics of ice crystal melting and accumulation. The findings show a high melting rate of ice crystals at high air velocities，accompanied by a relatively short heat transfer duration，resulting in a low liquid water content. The trajectories of ice crystals at different suction positions are simulated，which reveals that elastic collision occurs at the first two blades，while adhesion takes place at the last three blades. The effect of blade thickness is found to be significant. The ice accumulation area is expanded， the main ice accumulation is shifted toward stators backwards， and the ice accumulation in each stator is more concentrated after taking blade thickness into account.