Model Test and Numerical Analysis of a Multi-Pile Offshore Wind Turbine Under Seismic, Wind, Wave, and Current Loads

Author(s):  
Wenhua Wang ◽  
Zhen Gao ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Torgeir Moan

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) might be subjected to seismic loads with different peak accelerations during operation in the actively seismic regions. The earthquakes might be a potential risk for the OWTs due to its stochastic nature. Earthquake with wind and wave loads could act on OWT at the same time; thus, the structural responses of such OWTs should be analyzed taking into consideration the reasonable load combinations. Based on the hydro-elastic similarity, an integrated model of the combined National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW wind turbine and a practical pentapod substructure is designed for testing. The governing equations of motion of the integrated OWT are established. The dynamic tests and numerical analysis of the OWT model are performed under different combinations of seismic, wind, and sea load conditions. The El Centro and American Petroleum Institute (API)-based synthesized seismic waves with different peak ground accelerations (PGAs) are considered in this study. The numerical results are in good agreement with the experimental ones. The coupling effect of the OWT structure under the combined load conditions is demonstrated from the experimental and numerical results. The results indicate that the interaction of earthquake, wind, wave, and current should be taken into account in order to obtain proper structural response, especially with small PGA.

Author(s):  
Wenhua Wang ◽  
Zhen Gao ◽  
Xin Li ◽  
Torgeir Moan ◽  
Bin Wang

In the last decade the wind energy industry has developed rapidly in China, especially offshore. For a water depth less than 20m, monopile and multi-pile substructures (tripod, pentapod) are applied widely in offshore wind farms. Some wind farms in China are located in high seismicity regions, thus, the earthquake load may become the dominant load for offshore wind turbines. This paper deals with the seismic behavior of an offshore wind turbine (OWT) consisting of the NREL 5MW baseline wind turbine, a pentapod substructure and a pile foundation of a real offshore wind turbine in China. A test model of the OWT is designed based on the hydro-elastic similarity. Test cases of different load combinations are performed with the environmental conditions generated by the Joint Earthquake, Wave and Current Simulation System and the Simple Wind Field Generation System at Dalian University of Technology, China, in order to investigate the structural dynamic responses under different load conditions. In the tests, a circular disk is used to model the rotor-nacelle system, and a force gauge is fixed at the center of the disk to measure the wind forces during the tests. A series of accelerometers are arranged along the model tower and the pentapod piles, and strain gauges glued on the substructure members are intended to measure the structural dynamic responses. A finite element model of the complete wind turbine is also established in order to compare the theoretical results with the test data. The hydro-elastic similarity is validated based on the comparison of the measured dynamic characteristics and the results of the prototype modal analysis. The numerical results agree well with the experimental data. Based on the comparisons of the results, the effect of the wind and sea loads on the structural responses subjected to seismic is demonstrated, especially the influence on the global response of the structure. It is seen that the effect of the combined seismic, wind, wave and current load conditions can not be simply superimposed. Hence the interaction effect in the seismic analysis should be considered when the wind, wave and current loads have a non-negligible effect.


Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Liqin Liu ◽  
Qiang Zhu ◽  
Ying Guo ◽  
Zhiqiang Hu ◽  
...  

The nonlinear coupling effect between degree-of-freedom (DOFs) and the influence of vortex-induced loads on the motion of SPAR-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) are studied based on an aero-hydro-vortex-mooring coupled model. Both the first- and second-order wave loads are calculated based on the three-dimensional (3D) potential theory. The aerodynamic loads on the rotor are acquired with the blade element momentum (BEM) theory. The vortex-induced loads are simulated with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. The mooring forces are solved by the catenary theory and the nonlinear stiffness provided by the SPAR buoy is also considered. The coupled model is set up and a numerical code is developed for calculating the dynamic response of a Hywind SPAR-type FOWT under the combined sea states of wind, wave, and current. It shows that the amplitudes of sway and roll are dominated by lift loads induced by vortex shedding, and the oscillations in roll reach the same level of pitch in some scenarios. The mean value of surge is changed under the drag loads, but the mean position in pitch, as well as the oscillations in surge and pitch, is little affected by the current. Due to the coupling effects, the heave motion is also influenced by vortex-induced forces. When vortex-shedding frequency is close to the natural frequency in roll, the motions are increased. Due to nonlinear stiffness, super-harmonic response occurs in heave, which may lead to internal resonance.


Author(s):  
G. K. V. Ramachandran ◽  
H. Bredmose ◽  
J. N. Sørensen ◽  
J. J. Jensen

A dynamic model for a tension-leg platform (TLP) floating offshore wind turbine is proposed. The model includes three-dimensional wind and wave loads and the associated structural response. The total system is formulated using 17 degrees of freedom (DOF), 6 for the platform motions and 11 for the wind turbine. Three-dimensional hydrodynamic loads have been formulated using a frequency- and direction-dependent spectrum. While wave loads are computed from the wave kinematics using Morison’s equation, aerodynamic loads are modelled by means of unsteady Blade-Element-Momentum (BEM) theory, including Glauert correction for high values of axial induction factor, dynamic stall, dynamic wake and dynamic yaw. The aerodynamic model takes into account the wind shear and turbulence effects. For a representative geographic location, platform responses are obtained for a set of wind and wave climatic conditions. The platform responses show an influence from the aerodynamic loads, most clearly through a quasi-steady mean surge and pitch response associated with the mean wind. Further, the aerodynamic loads show an influence from the platform motion through more fluctuating rotor loads, which is a consequence of the wave-induced rotor dynamics. In the absence of a controller scheme for the wind turbine, the rotor torque fluctuates considerably, which induces a growing roll response especially when the wind turbine is operated nearly at the rated wind speed. This can be eliminated either by appropriately adjusting the controller so as to regulate the torque or by optimizing the floater or tendon dimensions, thereby limiting the roll motion. Loads and coupled responses are predicted for a set of load cases with different wave headings. Based on the results, critical load cases are identified and discussed. As a next step (which is not presented here), the dynamic model for the substructure is therefore being coupled to an advanced aero-elastic code Flex5, Øye (1996), which has a higher number of DOFs and a controller module.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 859
Author(s):  
Thanh-Dam Pham ◽  
Hyunkyoung Shin

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have been installed in Europe and Japan with relatively modern technology. The installation of floating wind farms in deep water is recommended because the wind speed is stronger and more stable. The design of the FOWT must ensure it is able to withstand complex environmental conditions including wind, wave, current, and performance of the wind turbine. It needs simulation tools with fully integrated hydrodynamic-servo-elastic modeling capabilities for the floating offshore wind turbines. Most of the numerical simulation approaches consider only first-order hydrodynamic loads; however, the second-order hydrodynamic loads have an effect on a floating platform which is moored by a catenary mooring system. At the difference-frequencies of the incident wave components, the drift motion of a FOWT system is able to have large oscillation around its natural frequency. This paper presents the effects of second-order wave loads to the drift motion of a semi-submersible type. This work also aimed to validate the hydrodynamic model of Ulsan University (UOU) in-house codes through numerical simulations and model tests. The NREL FAST code was used for the fully coupled simulation, and in-house codes of UOU generates hydrodynamic coefficients as the input for the FAST code. The model test was performed in the water tank of UOU.


Author(s):  
Emil Smilden ◽  
Erin E. Bachynski ◽  
Asgeir J. Sørensen

A simulation study is performed to identify the key contributors to lifetime accumulated fatigue damage in the support-structure of a 10 MW offshore wind turbine placed on a monopile foundation in 30 m water depth. The relative contributions to fatigue damage from wind loads, wave loads, and wind/wave misalignment are investigated through time-domain analysis combined with long-term variations in environmental conditions. Results show that wave loads are the dominating cause of fatigue damage in the support structure, and that environmental condtions associated with misalignment angle > 45° are insignificant with regard to the lifetime accumulated fatigue damage. Further, the results are used to investigate the potential of event-based use of control strategies developed to reduce fatigue loads through active load mitigation. Investigations show that a large reduction in lifetime accumulated fatigue damage is possible, enabling load mitigation only in certain situations, thus limiting collateral effects such as increased power fluctuations, and wear and tear of pitch actuators and drive-train components.


Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Qin Liu ◽  
Xing Hua Shi ◽  
C. Guedes Soares

As the offshore fixed wind turbine developed, more ones will be installed in the sea field with the depth 15–50 meters. Wave force will be one of the main forces that dominate the design of the wind turbine base, which is calculated using the Morison equation traditionally. This method can predict the wave forces for the small cylinders if the drag and inertia coefficients are obtained accurately. This paper will give a series scaled tests of monopile and jacket type base of the offshore wind turbine in tank to study the nonlinear wave loads.


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