Numerical investigation on the performance and anti-freezing design verification of atomization equipment in an icing cloud simulation system

Aircraft icing occurs when flying through the cloud containing supercooled water droplets or ice crystals, posing a threat to flight safety. To simulate the natural icing environment, a climatic environmental test facility was designed, in which atomization equipment was utilized to spray micro-sized water droplets. To optimize and provide a reference design for the atomization equipment, a numerical study on its performance and anti-freezing design verification was carried out. The developed model was successfully validated with the maximum experimental ice thickness and its outlined shape on the test rod, with the error of maximum ice thickness at only 2.6%. The maximum deviation and mean deviation are at 1.13 mm and 0.68 mm, respectively. Freeze protection was finally enabled by ensuring the supplement temperature of the water, as well as the air in pipes, higher than 28.85 °C. Results suggested the best position for the test, at 2 m upstream of the nozzle outlet. The water flow temperature at the nozzle outlet was 29.45 °C higher than the freezing point. As a validated and applicable method, this study shows its novelty and practical value in the development of the climatic environmental test facility.