Aerodynamic Simulation of Runback Ice Accretion
Andy P. Broeren
NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44135
Edward A. Whalen
The Boeing Company, St. Louis, Missouri 63166
Greg T. Busch and Michael B. Bragg
University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 61801
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the results of recent investigations into the aerodynamics of
simulated runback ice accretion on airfoils. Aerodynamic testing was performed on a fullscale,
72-inch (1828.8-mm) chord, NACA 23012 airfoil model over a Reynolds number range
of 4.7×106 to 16.0×106 and a Mach number range of 0.10 to 0.28. A high-fidelity, ice casting
simulation of a runback ice accretion was attached to the model leading edge. For Re =
16.0×106 and M = 0.20, the artificial ice shape decreased the maximum lift coefficient from
1.82 to 1.51 and decreased the stalling angle of attack from 18.1 deg. to 15.0 deg. In general,
the performance effects were insensitive to Reynolds and Mach number changes over the
range tested. Aerodynamic testing was also conducted on a quarter-scale, NACA 23012
model (18-inch (457.2-mm) chord) at Re = 1.8×106 and M = 0.18, using low-fidelity,
geometrically-scaled simulations of the full-scale casting. It was found that simple, twodimensional
simulations of the upper and lower surface runback ridges provided the best
representation of the full-scale, high-Reynolds number iced-airfoil aerodynamics. Higher fidelity
simulations of the runback ice accretion that included geometrically scaled threedimensional
features resulted in larger performance degradations than what was measured
on the full-scale model. Based upon this research, a new subclassification of spanwise-ridge
ice is proposed that distinguishes between short and tall ridges. This distinction is made in
terms of the fundamental aerodynamic characteristics as described in this paper.