Numerical Forecasting of Icing on Structural Components of Offshore Platforms in Polar Regions

The Polar Regions are rich in natural resources but experience an extremely cold climate. The surfaces of offshore platforms operating in the Polar Regions are prone to icing. To develop solutions to this problem of surface icing, the influence of both the liquid water concentration of the surrounding atmosphere and the average water droplet diameter on the formation of ice on two major structural components of offshore platforms was analyzed using a combination of Fluent and FENSAP-ICE. Results showed that at a wind speed of 7 m/s, as the concentration of liquid water in the air increases from 0.05 to 0.25 g/m3, the amount and thickness of the icing on the surfaces of the two structural components increase linearly. At a wind speed of 7 m/s and when the size of the average water droplet diameter is 20–30 (30–35) µm, as the average water droplet diameter increases, the amount and thickness of the icing on the surfaces of the two structural components increase (decrease) gradually.