On erosion issues associated with the leading edge of wind turbine blades

The increasing developments in wind turbine technology, coupled with an unpredictable operating environment, presents significant challenges regarding erosion issues on the leading edge of the blade tips. This review examines the potential degradation posed by the different environmental variables, with specific emphasis on both rain droplet and hailstone impact on the blade leading edge. Drawing on both the insights from experimental results and recent field data from the literature, the mechanisms of leading edge erosion are discussed. Meteorological tools that may enable rain and hailstone erosion prediction are addressed as well as potential experimental and numerical approaches that may provide insight into the nature of impact and erosion on the blade surface.