Icing on masts
Height has significant effect on icing severity, which has to be considered in the design of different tall structures such as telecommunication and radio masts, wind turbines and tall power line towers.
The main problem in icing of tall structure is related to increased loads on the masts. Ice also interferes the signal transmissions and receptions. The guy wires, that support the masts, are also prone to icing. Ice accretion on the guy wires causes stretches on the cables, which can lead to breakdown of the wire. Atmospheric icing events can create heavy ice accretions, over 100 kg/m, on the masts, which can lead into the collapsing of the whole structure.
Due to lack of effective solutions for tall structures, the only countermeasures against icing can be done in structural designing. By properly estimating the ice loads, the structures can be designed to withstand the ice masses.
References
- ↑ L. Makkonen, P. Lehtonen, M. Hirviniemi, Determining ice loads for tower structure design, Engineering Structures, vol. 74, 2014 pp. 229–232.
- ↑ N. Mulherin, Atmospheric icing and communication tower failure in the United States, Cold Regions Science and Technology, vol. 27, no. 2, 1998, pp. 91–104.
- ↑ L. Makkonen & M. M. Oleskiw, Small-scale experiments on rime icing, Cold Regions Science and Technology, vol. 25, no. 3, 1997, pp. 173–182.
- ↑ G. Ronsten, Lessons learned from ‘Large scale, cost effective deployment of wind energy in icing climates,’ IWAIS 2015, presentation, Uppsala, Sweden, 2015.
- ↑ Properties of icephobic surfaces in different icing conditions. Stenroos Christian. Master of Science Thesis. TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY. October 2015. Online.