Structural analysis of a gravity substructure for 5MW offshore wind turbines

Author(s):  
Min-Su Park ◽  
Youn-Ju Jeong ◽  
Young-Jun You
Author(s):  
Min-Su Park ◽  
Youn-Ju Jeong ◽  
Young-Jun You

The substructure for offshore wind turbines is strongly influenced by the effect of wave forces as the size of substructure increases. Therefore, it is very important to reduce the wave force acting on substructures. In the present study the hybrid substructure, which is composed of a multi-cylinder having different radius near free surface and a gravity substructure at the bottom of multi-cylinder, is suggested to reduce the wave forces. The fluid domain is divided into two regions to calculate the wave forces acting on the hybrid substructure with multi-cylinder and the scattering wave in each fluid region is expressed by an Eigen-function expansion method. The comparison between the mono pile and the hybrid substructure is made for wave forces. Using the wave forces obtained from this study, the structural analysis of hybrid substructure is carried out through ANSYS mechanical. In order to investigate the resonance between the wind turbine and the hybrid substructure, the modal analysis is also carried out.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aengus John Connolly ◽  
Gerard O'Mahony

Abstract This paper describes the validation of a novel floating wind turbine simulation tool based on an existing finite element offshore structural analysis solver that recently has been extended to simulate offshore wind turbines. Given the growing importance of offshore wind in the decarbonization strategy of many countries, and particularly the predicted exponential future growth in floating offshore wind, the requirement for validated numerical modelling tools to support detailed engineering design is now greater than ever. The tool combines a unique structural analysis solver incorporating a 3D hybrid beam-column element featuring fully-coupled axial, torsional and bending deformation modes, with the open-source aerodynamic modelling software FAST, to enable it to perform fully coupled aero-hydro-structural simulation of offshore wind turbines. The validation process focuses on a floating semi-submersible platform hosting a 5MW turbine, which is the reference model used in the international research project Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation (OC4). This is a code-to-code verification project sponsored by the International Energy Agency (IEA) which benchmarks a range of simulation codes for offshore wind turbine modelling. Beginning with fundamental test cases, such as static equilibrium, eigen-analysis, and free-decay simulations, the scenarios advance in complexity to include current loading, regular and random wave excitation, in conjunction with both steady and turbulent wind inflow. The new tool generates results which exhibit a close correlation with the OC4 benchmark data, thereby validating the numerical modelling approach. Although primarily focused on the semi-submersible, the validation programme also considers the same 5MW turbine hosted by a jacket substructure in shallower water, illustrating the versatility of the modelling tool to simulate fixed support structures in addition to floating. Given the scope of the validation effort, this paper presents a representative sample of results only. A more comprehensive report covering the other load cases can be provided to interested readers by the authors. This paper complements the research work undertaken in OC4, further substantiating its insights into the dynamic responses of floating offshore wind turbines. The new tool offers advantages for non-linear structural simulation via its innovative finite element solution technique, and detailed hydrodynamic modelling via its established and proven numerical models. The combination underlines the benefits of exploiting synergies between offshore oil and gas and offshore wind.


2014 ◽  
Vol 134 (8) ◽  
pp. 1096-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sho Tsujimoto ◽  
Ségolène Dessort ◽  
Naoyuki Hara ◽  
Keiji Konishi

Author(s):  
Jose´ G. Rangel-Rami´rez ◽  
John D. So̸rensen

Deterioration processes such as fatigue and corrosion are typically affecting offshore structures. To “control” this deterioration, inspection and maintenance activities are developed. Probabilistic methodologies represent an important tool to identify the suitable strategy to inspect and control the deterioration in structures such as offshore wind turbines (OWT). Besides these methods, the integration of condition monitoring information (CMI) can optimize the mitigation activities as an updating tool. In this paper, a framework for risk-based inspection and maintenance planning (RBI) is applied for OWT incorporating CMI, addressing this analysis to fatigue prone details in welded steel joints at jacket or tripod steel support structures for offshore wind turbines. The increase of turbulence in wind farms is taken into account by using a code-based turbulence model. Further, additional modes t integrate CMI in the RBI approach for optimal planning of inspection and maintenance. As part of the results, the life cycle reliabilities and inspection times are calculated, showing that earlier inspections are needed at in-wind farm sites. This is expected due to the wake turbulence increasing the wind load. With the integration of CMI by means Bayesian inference, a slightly change of first inspection times are coming up, influenced by the reduction of the uncertainty and harsher or milder external agents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Rundong Yan ◽  
Sarah Dunnett

In order to improve the operation and maintenance (O&M) of offshore wind turbines, a new Petri net (PN)-based offshore wind turbine maintenance model is developed in this paper to simulate the O&M activities in an offshore wind farm. With the aid of the PN model developed, three new potential wind turbine maintenance strategies are studied. They are (1) carrying out periodic maintenance of the wind turbine components at different frequencies according to their specific reliability features; (2) conducting a full inspection of the entire wind turbine system following a major repair; and (3) equipping the wind turbine with a condition monitoring system (CMS) that has powerful fault detection capability. From the research results, it is found that periodic maintenance is essential, but in order to ensure that the turbine is operated economically, this maintenance needs to be carried out at an optimal frequency. Conducting a full inspection of the entire wind turbine system following a major repair enables efficient utilisation of the maintenance resources. If periodic maintenance is performed infrequently, this measure leads to less unexpected shutdowns, lower downtime, and lower maintenance costs. It has been shown that to install the wind turbine with a CMS is helpful to relieve the burden of periodic maintenance. Moreover, the higher the quality of the CMS, the more the downtime and maintenance costs can be reduced. However, the cost of the CMS needs to be considered, as a high cost may make the operation of the offshore wind turbine uneconomical.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2862
Author(s):  
Amer Al-Hinai ◽  
Yassine Charabi ◽  
Seyed H. Aghay Kaboli

Despite the long shoreline of Oman, the wind energy industry is still confined to onshore due to the lack of knowledge about offshore wind potential. A spatial-temporal wind data analysis is performed in this research to find the locations in Oman’s territorial seas with the highest potential for offshore wind energy. Thus, wind data are statistically analyzed for assessing wind characteristics. Statistical analysis of wind data include the wind power density, and Weibull scale and shape factors. In addition, there is an estimation of the possible energy production and capacity factor by three commercial offshore wind turbines suitable for 80 up to a 110 m hub height. The findings show that offshore wind turbines can produce at least 1.34 times more energy than land-based and nearshore wind turbines. Additionally, offshore wind turbines generate more power in the Omani peak electricity demand during the summer. Thus, offshore wind turbines have great advantages over land-based wind turbines in Oman. Overall, this work provides guidance on the deployment and production of offshore wind energy in Oman. A thorough study using bankable wind data along with various logistical considerations would still be required to turn offshore wind potential into real wind farms in Oman.


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