Water Droplet Erosion of Wind Turbine Blades: Mechanics, Testing, Modeling and Future Perspectives

The problem of erosion due to water droplet impact has been a major concern for several industries for a very long time and it keeps reinventing itself wherever a component rotates or moves at high speed in a hydrometer environment. Recently, and as larger wind turbine blades are used, erosion of the leading edge due to rain droplets impact has become a serious issue. Leading-edge erosion causes a significant loss in aerodynamics efficiency of turbine blades leading to a considerable reduction in annual energy production. This paper reviews the topic of water droplet impact erosion as it emerges in wind turbine blades. A brief background on water droplet erosion and its industrial applications is first presented. Leading-edge erosion of wind turbine is briefly described in terms of materials involved and erosion conditions encountered in the blade. Emphases are then placed on the status quo of understanding the mechanics of water droplet erosion, experimental testing, and erosion prediction models. The main conclusions of this review are as follow. So far, experimental testing efforts have led to establishing a useful but incomplete understanding of the water droplet erosion phenomenon, the effect of different erosion parameters, and a general ranking of materials based on their ability to resist erosion. Techniques for experimentally measuring an objective erosion resistance (or erosion strength) of materials have, however, not yet been developed. In terms of modelling, speculations about the physical processes underlying water droplet erosion and consequently treating the problem from first principles have never reached a state of maturity. Efforts have, therefore, focused on formulating erosion prediction equations depending on a statistical analysis of large erosion tests data and often with a combination of presumed erosion mechanisms such as fatigue. Such prediction models have not reached the stage of generalization. Experimental testing and erosion prediction efforts need to be improved such that a coherent water droplet erosion theory can be established. The need for standardized testing and data representation practices as well as correlations between test data and real in-service erosion also remains urgent.