Numerical Simulation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Ice Formation on Electrified Railway Contact Lines
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Calculation and Simulation of Basic Parameters of Iced Contact Line
2.1. Establishment of the Fluid Calculation Domain
2.2. Mesh-Independent Verification
2.3. Study of Droplet Collision in the Overhead Contact Line System
2.4. Droplet Trajectory Equation and Its Solution
2.5. Study of Ice Formation on the Contact Line Surface
3. Analysis of Calculation Results
3.1. Icing Model Validation
3.2. Contact Line Icing Model Simulation
3.3. Analysis of Computational Results for Different Droplet Diameters
3.4. Analysis of Computational Results for Different Air–Liquid Water Content
3.5. Analysis of Computational Results at Different Ambient Temperatures
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- Compared with traditional circular conductors, due to the obvious tail-groove structure and asymmetric cross-section of the contact line, the water droplet collection coefficient on the windward side shows a locally concentrated distribution, and the icing morphology is more likely to develop asymmetrically up and down. However, due to the symmetrical structure of the conductor, the icing morphology is more uniform and has fuller icing.
- (2)
- Under different water droplet diameters and air–liquid water contents, although the thickness of the ice layer on the contact line changes significantly, restricted by the groove and edge structures, the expansion of the icing area is limited, and the limited position of the icing area is more stable.
- (3)
- Under the condition that the wind speed reaches 15 m/s, some water droplets, after the first impact on the surface of the contact line, are carried to its downstream surface by the bypass airflow, slide along the surface curvature, and freeze, forming a small-scale “secondary icing area” on the leeward side of the contact line. This phenomenon is not obvious in the conductor simulation, indicating that the geometric characteristics of the contact line are more sensitive to the disturbed airflow, and the icing area is more complex.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Nominal | Calculation | Size (mm) | Angle (°) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Area (mm2) | Area (mm2) | A | B | C | D | E | K | R | F | G |
120 | 121 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 9.76 | 7.24 | 6.8 | 4.35 | 0.4 | 51 | 27 |
Droplet Diameter/μm | 44.4 | 34.8 | 27.4 | 20 | 14.2 | 10.4 | 6.2 |
Volume Fraction/% | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
Time (min) | 10 | 20 | 30 |
Maximum ice thickness (mm) | 1.775 | 3.568 | 4.951 |
MVD (μm) | 10 | 20 | 40 | 50 |
Maximum ice thickness (mm) | 1.274 | 1.821 | 2.359 | 3.562 |
LWC (g/m3) | 0.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.8 |
Maximum ice thickness (mm) | 1.837 | 3.556 | 5.012 | 5.012 |
Temperatures (°C) | −3 | −5 | −8 | −10 |
Maximum ice thickness (mm) | 1.345 | 1.853 | 2.184 | 3.589 |
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Liu, C.; Zhang, Y.; Ma, W.; Song, Y. Numerical Simulation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Ice Formation on Electrified Railway Contact Lines. Infrastructures 2025, 10, 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10050121
Liu C, Zhang Y, Ma W, Song Y. Numerical Simulation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Ice Formation on Electrified Railway Contact Lines. Infrastructures. 2025; 10(5):121. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10050121
Chicago/Turabian StyleLiu, Changyi, Yifan Zhang, Wei Ma, and Yang Song. 2025. "Numerical Simulation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Ice Formation on Electrified Railway Contact Lines" Infrastructures 10, no. 5: 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10050121
APA StyleLiu, C., Zhang, Y., Ma, W., & Song, Y. (2025). Numerical Simulation and Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Ice Formation on Electrified Railway Contact Lines. Infrastructures, 10(5), 121. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures10050121