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Ice Accretion


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Definition
Ice accretion refers to the accumulation of
ice on the ships superstructure due to the
joining of solids or liquid.

Sometimes referred to as:
Freezing rain/fog;
Icing;
Rime;
Black ice.
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Rime is a white or milky
and opaque granular
deposit of ice formed by
the rapid freezing of
supercooled water drops
as they impinge upon an
cold exposed object.


Black ice is a thin sheet
of clear ice or glaze,
which is rather dark in
appearance. Black ice is
often mentioned in road
weather forecasts
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Heat supplied to sample
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

C

335 kJ
420 kJ
2260 kJ
Changes of state of water
0
100
SOLID LIQUID VAPOUR

SOLID LIQUID VAPOUR

Solidification Condensation
Liquefaction Vaporisation
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Source Air Temperature
Sea spray -2C
Rain/drizzle 0C
Fog/black ice 0C
Conditions for Freezing
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Rate and Causes
The rate of accretion is categorised as:
Light: less than 0.7cm/hour
Moderate : between 0.7 and 2cm/hour
Heavy: greater than 2cm/hour
Small amounts are caused by:
Precipitation
Fog
Sea spray - Wind less than force 7
Large amounts are caused by:
Sea Spray - Wind greater than force 7
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Conditions
In order for ice accretion to occur:
the ships structure must be at the same
temperature as the air;
the water must be cooled to its freezing point
through conduction with the ships structure;
the latent heat released through freezing to be
dispersed through the ships structure;
once ice has formed on the surface then the
latent heat is dispersed by the air.
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Amount of Accretion
The lower the air temperature the greater the accretion:
Due to the ability of the structure disperse energy.
The lower the sea temperature the greater the
accretion:
Due to the spray requiring less cooling to reach freezing point.
The higher the wind speed the greater the accretion:
Due to the greater amount of spray and the wind chill factor.
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Probable Areas
High wind speeds are likely to be
encountered near middle latitude
depressions.
Lower the sea temperatures will be
encountered in high latitudes.
Low air temperatures with Arctic/Antarctic
winds or wind blowing off frozen land
masses.
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Case study
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Forecast areas
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High Seas Forecast
HIGH SEAS BULLETIN FOR METAREA 1 ISSUED AT 2000 ON MONDAY 09
JANUARY BY THE MET OFFICE, ABERDEEN, UNITED KINGDOM STORM
WARNING AT 09/1200 UTC

LOW 47N 39W 1010 EXPECTED 58N 18W 963 BY 10/1200 UTC. WINDS WILL
REACH STORM FORCE 10 TO HURRICANE FORCE 12 IN THE SOUTHERN
QUADRANT WITHIN 300 MILES OF CENTRE FROM 10/0900 UTC.

AREA FORECASTS FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS
DENMARK STRAIT CYCLONIC 5 TO 7, BUT NORTH GALE 8 AT FIRST IN
NORTHEAST. SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS. GOOD FALLING POOR IN
SNOW. LIGHT TO MODERATE ICING AT FIRST IN NORTHEAST.
TEMPERATURES MS02 TO MS05

NORTH ICELAND CYCLONIC BECOMING WEST OR NORTHWEST 7 TO
SEVERE GALE 9, THEN BACKING EAST 4 OR 5, INCREASING 6 OR 7 IN
SOUTH LATER. RAIN AND SNOW. MODERATE OR GOOD, OCCASIONALLY
POOR. LIGHT TO MODERATE ICING AT FIRST IN NORTH. TEMPERATURE
MS01 TO MS04
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Sources of data
http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/mmab/oper.html

Ship Structure Ice accretion model

http://weather.gmdss.org/VI.html

The Mariners Handbook NP100
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Ice Accretion Graphs