Author(s): Anton Kulyakhtin; Sveinung Loset; Laszlo Kollar
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Abstract: Sea spray icing can pose a danger to structures and vessels in Arctic waters that are free from level ice. It is important to develop simulation tools that can predict icing and provide the basis for mitigation measures for activities related to oil and gas fields, including associated ship traffic in northern waters, with an emphasis on the waters north of Norway and Russia. To make such tools reliable, it is necessary to improve the physical understanding of the sea spray icing process and to translate this knowledge into numerical models. Field studies of ice accretion were performed in the harbour area of Longyearbyen on Spitsbergen during the winter of 2011. This paper presents the development of a system for measuring ice accretion and the experimental results. This study also shows field conditions and associated complications. The applied spray was periodic and with a high liquid water content (1–30 g/m3). Measurements of the ice accretion rate were performed in different weather conditions on stationary and rotating cylinders with diameters of 20,40 and 104 mm. The study demonstrated the importance of having real-time measurements of the ice accretion mass in the field, where weather conditions may change abruptly. Increased turbulence can decrease the accretion mass a few times for the given experimental setup. The measured turbulence intensity was within the range of 12 to 30%. It was also found that the amount of accreted ice is lower at higher temperatures, but it is approximately constant at temperatures below -10°C for the periodic spray investigated.
Year: 2012