Research on Microstrip Array Antennas for Microwave DE-Icing of Wind Turbine Blades
Yuchen Xia,
Ning Liu,
Zhengqing Yang,
Yunhong Liu,
Xian-Jun Sheng,
Dongdong Zhang,
Guangwen Jiang and
Xin Li
Wind turbine blades are prone to icing in low-temperature environments, which affects the efficiency and safety of wind power generation. Microwave de-icing technology, with its high efficiency, non-contact, and rapid response characteristics, has become an important method for addressing the issue of blade icing. This paper focuses on the antenna design for a microwave de-icing system for wind turbine blades. Based on microstrip patch antennas, a low-side lobe, a high-gain array antenna was designed, operating at a frequency of 2.45 GHz with a maximum gain of 13.9 dB, with side lobe levels of -22.3 dB. An experimental system was established, and an infrared thermal imager was used to measure heating results, verifying temperature increases under different absorptive materials, heating times, heating powers, and radiation distances, laying the foundation for de-icing applications.