Morphogenetic modelling of wet ice accretions on transmission lines as a result of freezing rain

When water droplets encounter an object and the atmospheric conditions are sufficiently cold, ice will accrete, In this paper, we examine ice accretio n due to freezing rain on a cylindrical surface representing a transmission line cable. A 3-dimensional random walk model is used to predict the morph ology and mass of the ice accretion, In this method, the motion of each dro p or of drop ensembles is followed individually, The main advantage of the random walk approach is that it models realistically and with numerical eff iciency the now of water along the surface of the accretion. This model cal culates not only the accretion on the side exposed to impinging droplets, b ut also the accretion below the object, including the possible formation of multiple icicles. The model prediction of the shape and mass of the ice ac cretion on a cylinder has been analyzed as a function of the convective hea t flux and the precipitation rate. While used here to simulate accretions o n ground wires, the morphogenetic model could also be used to simulate ice accretion on other elements of electrical power transmission lines.