IWAIS-2024: 20th International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures UiT- The Arctic University of Norway Narvik, Norway, June 18-21, 2024

The International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS) will take place in Narvik, Norway, from June 18-21, 2024. Norway has a long-standing commitment to IWAIS and is hosting this event after 40 years as previously Norway hosted this  in 1984 at  Trondheim. IWAIS gathers a vibrant community of researchers, consultants and utility stakeholders who are eager to innovate, share and implement effective solutions to mitigate icing on structures.

Human activities are increasingly extending in ice prone cold regions, where atmospheric icing on structures can affect its design and safety. Atmospheric icing on structures is an area of concern from operational, maintenance, safety, and financial perspectives. Therefore, there is a growing need to improve knowledge and strengthen expertise about atmospheric icing on structures. The International Workshop on Atmospheric Icing of Structures (IWAIS) have been one of the most important scientific forum for disseminating research results about atmospheric icing and its effects on structures. IWAIS brings together specialists in this field to disseminate information  about the complex physics of atmospheric icing. In addition, inseparable acquaintances and friendships have sprung up, giving this scientific forum an added value. During last 44 years, participants have gathered for 19 IWAIS meetings in 13 different countries around the globe. The first IWAIS conference was organized in 1982 in Hanover, USA, and the 19th meeting was hosted in Montreal, Canada in 2022.

The core focus of IWAIS is about atmospheric icing on strutures, where key research topics include:

• Icing on structures: power lines, telecommunication towers, buildings, bridges, railway, roads, aviation, etc.
• Icing modelling (analytics, numerical & experimental)
• Ice detection & mitigation
• Anti-icing, de-icing, and ice-phobic materials.
• Icing climate & forecasting (incl. climate change)
• Ice disaster management & logistics
• Green energy in icing conditions.

IWAIS 2024 will be organized at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway (Narvik campus) . Arctic Technology & Icing Research Group (arcICE) will coordinate this event with the support from UiT staff and IWAIS technical/advisory/scientific committees. As COVID restrictions around the globe are lifted now, so IWAIS 2024 will take place in person. A detailed schedule of the events related to IWAIS 2024 will be posted on conference website soon (www.uit.no/iwais2024).

Narvik is a beautiful port town located at 68 degrees north in the Arctic circle of northern Norway, situated between steep mountains and narrow fjords. With an astonishing Arctic nature as a backyard, the city offers a wide range of tourist activities and unforgettable experiences. The city has vast areas of un-spoilt nature, mountains, sea and can offer an abundance of nature activities. In summer time, the stunning nature with its mountains and fjords offer summit walks up to a height of 1500 meters and long hikes in the mountains, while you enjoy the mid night sun. Play golf, your hand at fishing or just relax and take in the stunning scenery. All this is so much better when you have 24 hours light and the ‘Midnight Sun’ in the summer months. Narvik is located 45 km from the Swedish border that also gives you an option to visit two countries in one day.

IWAIS has established a strong collaboration with CIGRE  on topics related to icing on structures that has now resulted that for the first time CIGRE will join the IWAIS organization for this joint CIGRE- IWAIS event in Narvik, Norway. This joint event will allow experts from all fields to share knowledge about icing, cutting-edge research and discoveries, raise issues or questions, discuss directions and develop relationships with experts around the world. 

We warmly welcome all pointers from prospective participants at all stages of the preparations.

Conference Chairman:

Professor. Muhammad Shakeel Virk