scholarly journals Case Study of Integrating an Offshore Wind Farm with Offshore Oil and Gas Platforms and with an Onshore Electrical Grid

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei He ◽  
Kjetil Uhlen ◽  
Mahesh Hadiya ◽  
Zhe Chen ◽  
Gang Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Electrical Grid ◽  
Economical Analysis ◽  
Electrical Grids ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

This research project explored the technical feasibility of utilizing an offshore wind farm as a supplementary power source to several electrical grids of offshore oil and gas platforms and providing surplus power to an onshore grid. Three case studies comprising wind farms rated at 20 MW, 100 MW, and 1000 MW have been studied with the focus on (i) the operation benefits of CO2/NOxemission reduction, (ii) the electrical grid stability, and (iii) the technical implementation feasibility. The proposed 20 MW, 100 MW, and 1000 MW wind farm cases are theoretically feasible in terms of the selected technical criteria, although further detailed design operational studies, and economical analysis are required.

scholarly journals Benthic biodiversity on old platforms, young wind farms, and rocky reefs

2018 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1250-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joop W P Coolen ◽  
Babeth van der Weide ◽  
Joël Cuperus ◽  
Maxime Blomberg ◽  
Godfried W N M Van Moorsel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Steel Substrate ◽  
Artificial Reef ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Rocky Reefs ◽  
Psammechinus Miliaris ◽  
Natural Reef ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Abstract The introduction of artificial hard substrates in an area dominated by a sandy seabed increases habitat available to epifouling organisms. To investigate this, samples were taken on old offshore oil and gas platforms, and data were compared with data of a young wind farm and a natural reef. Depth, sampling date, abundance of Mytilus edulis, Psammechinus miliaris, Metridium dianthus, and the presence of Tubulariidae and substrate (rock or steel) all correlated with species richness. Multivariate analysis showed a large overlap in communities on steel and rock and between the wind farm and platforms. The community changed over a gradient from deep rocks to shallow steel substrate, but no strong community differentiation was observed. Deep steel was more similar to natural rocks than shallow steel. When an artificial reef is intended to be colonized by communities similar to those on a natural reef, its structure should resemble a natural reef as much as possible.

The Experiences From the First Rounds of Offshore Wind Farm Installation in the German EEZ (Both Baltic and North Sea) and Lessons Learnt to Achieve Serial Production Status: A Consultant’s Perspective

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekkehard Stade
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Near Misses ◽  
Construction Operation

Offshore wind farms present a lesser safety risk to operators and contractors than traditional oil and gas installations. In the post Macondo world this does not come as a surprise since the risks involved in construction, operation and maintenance of an offshore wind farm are by far lower. Even with higher probability of incidents and near misses (due to serial construction) the severity/ impact of those is considerably lower. On the other hand projects are complex, profit margins are what they are called: marginal. Hence there is no room for errors, perhaps in form of delays. If, for example, the installation completion of the turbines and the inner array cabling/ export cables are not perfectly in tune, the little commercial success that can be achieved is rapidly diminishing by costly compensation activities. The paper will try to present solutions to the most pressing challenges and elaborate on the effect those would have had, had they been implemented at the beginning of the projects. How can a sustainable new industry evolve by learning from established industries? Presently, there is a view that offshore wind is a short-lived business. Particularly representatives of the oil and gas industry raise such concern. Apart from the obvious bias of those voices, this controversy is also caused by the fact that offshore wind seems to have a tendency to try and re-invent the wheel rather than using established procedures. Even with a relatively stable commitment to the offshore wind development regardless of the respective government focus within European coastal states the industry suffers from financing issues, subsidies, over-regulation due to lack of expertise within authorities and other challenges. The avoidance of those is key to a successful development for this industry in other areas of the planet. In conjunction with a stable commitment this is essential in order to attract the long lead-time projects and to establish the complex supply chains to achieve above goals. The paper will look at the short but intensive history of the industry and establish mitigation to some of the involved risks of offshore wind farm EPCI.

scholarly journals A Review of Life Extension Strategies for Offshore Wind Farms Using Techno-Economic Assessments

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 1936
Author(s):  
Benjamin Pakenham ◽  
Anna Ermakova ◽  
Ali Mehmanparast
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Life Extension ◽  
Financial Model ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas

The aim of this study is to look into the current information surrounding decommissioning and life extension strategies in the offshore wind sector and critically assess them to make informed decisions upon completion of the initial design life in offshore wind farms. This was done through a two-pronged approach by looking into the technical aspects through comprehensive discussions with industrial specialists in the field and also looking into similar but more mature industries such as the Offshore Oil and Gas sector. For the financial side of the assessment, a financial model was constructed to help portray a possible outcome to extend the life for a current offshore wind farm, using the existing data. By employing a techno-economic approach for critical assessment of life extension strategies, this study demonstrates the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy and looks to inform the offshore wind industry the best course of action for current wind farms, depending on their size and age.

scholarly journals A cross-sectional survey of physical strains among offshore wind farm workers in the German exclusive economic zone

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. e020157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcial Velasco Garrido ◽  
Janika Mette ◽  
Stefanie Mache ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
Alexandra M Preisser
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Exclusive Economic Zone ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Heavy Loads ◽  
Under Construction

ObjectivesTo assess the physical strains of employees in the German offshore wind industry, according to job type and phase of the wind farm (under construction or operation).DesignWeb-based cross-sectional survey.SettingOffshore wind farm companies operating within the German exclusive economic zone.ParticipantsMale workers with regular offshore commitments and at least 28 days spent offshore in the past year (n=268).Outcome measuresPhysical strains (eg, climbing, noise, working overhead, with twisted upper body or in confined spaces, vibration, heavy lifting, humidity, odours).ResultsThe most frequently mentioned physical strain was ’climbing’ with 63.8% of the respondents reporting to be always or frequently confronted with climbing and ascending stairs during offshore work. Work as a technician was associated with a greater exposition to noise, vibrations, humidity, cold, heat, chemical substances, lifting/carrying heavy loads, transport of equipment, working in non-ergonomic positions and in cramped spaces, as well as climbing.Indeed, statistical analyses showed that, after adjusting for phase of the wind farm, age, nationality, offshore experience, work schedule and type of shift, compared with non-technicians, working as a technician was associated with more frequently lifting/carrying of heavy loads (OR 2.58, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.23), transport of equipment (OR 2.06 95% CI 1.27 to 3.33), working with a twisted upper body (OR 2.85 95% CI 1.74 to 4.69), working overhead (OR 2.77 95% CI 1.67 to 4.58) and climbing (OR 2.30 95% CI 1.40 to 3.77). Working in wind farms under construction was strongly associated with increased and decreased exposure to humidity (OR 2.32 95% CI 1.38 to 3.92) and poor air quality (OR 0.58 95% CI 0.35 to 0.95), respectively.ConclusionsWorkers on offshore wind farms constitute a heterogeneous group, including a wide variety of occupations. The degree of exposure to detrimental physical strains varies depending on the type of job. Technicians are more exposed to ergonomic challenges than other offshore workers.

Computation of Drift Forces for Dynamic Positioning Within the Very Early Design Stage of Offshore Wind Farm Installation Vessels

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip H. Augener ◽  
Stefan Krüger
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Irregular Waves ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Dynamic Positioning ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Early Design Stage ◽  
Drift Forces

The German government has decided upon the changeover from fossil and nuclear based electrical power generation to renewable energies. Following from this offshore wind farms are erected in the exclusive economic zones of Germany. For the transportation and installation as well as the maintenance of the wind turbine generators very specialized vessels are needed. The capability of dynamic positioning even in very harsh weather conditions is one of the major design tasks for these vessels. For this reason it is important to know the external loads on the ships during station keeping already in the very early design stage. This paper focuses on the computation of wave drift forces in regular and irregular waves as well as in natural seaway. For validation the results of the introduced calculation procedure are compared to measured drift force data from sea-keeping tests of an Offshore Wind Farm Transport and Installation Vessel.

Optimization of Floating Offshore Wind Energy Systems Using an Extended Pattern Search Method

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin Forinash ◽  
Bryony DuPont
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Pattern Search ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Power Development ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Onshore Wind ◽  
Extended Pattern Search

An Extended Pattern Search (EPS) approach is developed for offshore floating wind farm layout optimization while considering challenges such as high cost and harsh ocean environments. This multi-level optimization method minimizes the costs of installation and operations and maintenance, and maximizes power development in a unidirectional wind case by selecting the size and position of turbines. The EPS combines a deterministic pattern search algorithm with three stochastic extensions to avoid local optima. The EPS has been successfully applied to onshore wind farm optimization and enables the inclusion of advanced modeling as new technologies for floating offshore wind farms emerge. Three advanced models are incorporated into this work: (1) a cost model developed specifically for this work, (2) a power development model that selects hub height and rotor radius to optimize power production, and (3) a wake propagation and interaction model that determines aerodynamic effects. Preliminary results indicate the differences between proposed optimal offshore wind farm layouts and those developed by similar methods for onshore wind farms. The objective of this work is to maximize profit; given similar parameters, offshore wind farms are suggested to have approximately 24% more turbines than onshore farms of the same area. EPS layouts are also compared to those of an Adapted GA; 100% efficiency is found for layouts containing twice as many turbines as the layout presented by the Adapted GA. Best practices are derived that can be employed by offshore wind farm developers to improve the layout of platforms, and may contribute to reducing barriers to implementation, enabling developers and policy makers to have a clearer understanding of the resulting cost and power production of computationally optimized farms; however, the unidirectional wind case used in this work limits the representation of optimized layouts at real wind sites. Since there are currently no multi-turbine floating offshore wind farm projects operational in the United States, it is anticipated that this work will be used by developers when planning array layouts for future offshore floating wind farms.

Reliability Evaluation of New Offshore Wind Farm Electrical Grid Connection Topologies

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Kazemtabrizi ◽  
C. Crabtree ◽  
S. Hogg
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Sequential Monte Carlo ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Load Level ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Reliability Modeling ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Electrical Grid ◽  
Grid Connection ◽  
Potential Improvement

In this paper, a composite generation transmission approach has been chosen for adequacy evaluation of wind farms integrated with conventional generating units. It has been assumed that the failure characteristics of a turbine’s underlying subassemblies possess the required Markov properties to be modeled as Markov processes. The wind farm along with the offshore connection grid has then been modeled in a sequential Monte Carlo simulation which also contains sequential chronological models for wind speed and load level variations over a specific period of time. The reliability of the wind farm is then evaluated against a series of load- and energy-based indices as well as overall productivity of the farm with different connections. The results indicate a potential improvement in the reliability of wind power output when in cluster-type topologies, where the converters are grouped and maintained in a central offshore platform, in comparison to conventional string-type topologies. Academic researchers involved in reliability modeling and risk analysis of renewable sources of energy, particularly wind, as well as industry professionals both in wind turbine manufacturing and operation and maintenance of offshore wind farms would equally benefit from the degree of detail and accuracy provided by the models presented in this paper.

scholarly journals FLOWSTAR-Energy: a high resolution wind farm wake model

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Stidworthy ◽  
David Carruthers
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Complex Terrain ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Measured Data ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Wake Model ◽  
Turbine Wake

Abstract. A new model, FLOWSTAR-Energy, has been developed for the practical calculation of wind farm energy production. It includes a semi-analytic model for airflow over complex surfaces (FLOWSTAR) and a wind turbine wake model that simulates wake-wake interaction by exploiting some similarities between the decay of a wind turbine wake and the dispersion of plume of passive gas emitted from an elevated source. Additional turbulence due to the wind shear at the wake edge is included and the assumption is made that wind turbines are only affected by wakes from upstream wind turbines. The model takes account of the structure of the atmospheric boundary layer, which means that the effect of atmospheric stability is included. A marine boundary layer scheme is also included to enable offshore as well as onshore sites to be modelled. FLOWSTAR-Energy has been used to model three different wind farms and the predicted energy output compared with measured data. Maps of wind speed and turbulence have also been calculated for two of the wind farms. The Tjaæreborg wind farm is an onshore site consisting of a single 2 MW wind turbine, the NoordZee offshore wind farm consists of 36 V90 VESTAS 3 MW turbines and the Nysted offshore wind farm consists of 72 Bonus 2.3 MW turbines. The NoordZee and Nysted measurement datasets include stability distribution data, which was included in the modelling. Of the two offshore wind farm datasets, the Noordzee dataset focuses on a single 5-degree wind direction sector and therefore only represents a limited number of measurements (1,284); whereas the Nysted dataset captures data for seven 5-degree wind direction sectors and represents a larger number of measurements (84,363). The best agreement between modelled and measured data was obtained with the Nysted dataset, with high correlation (0.98 or above) and low normalised mean square error (0.007 or below) for all three flow cases. The results from Tjæreborg show that the model replicates the Gaussian shape of the wake deficit two turbine diameters downstream of the turbine, but the lack of stability information in this dataset makes it difficult to draw conclusions about model performance. One of the key strengths of FLOWSTAR-Energy is its ability to model the effects of complex terrain on the airflow. However, although the airflow model has been previously compared extensively with flow data, it has so far not been used in detail to predict energy yields from wind farms in complex terrain. This will be the subject of a further validation study for FLOWSTAR-Energy.

scholarly journals The Role of Atmospheric Stability and Turbulence in Offshore Wind-Farm Wakes in the German Bight

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Platis ◽  
Marie Hundhausen ◽  
Astrid Lampert ◽  
Stefan Emeis ◽  
Jens Bange
Keyword(s):  
German Bight ◽  
Wind Farm ◽  
Atmospheric Stability ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Lapse Rate ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Stable Conditions ◽  
The Stability

AbstractAirborne meteorological in situ measurements as well as stationary measurements at the offshore masts FINO1 and FINO3 in the German Bight are evaluated in order to examine the hypothesis that the wake dissipation downstream of large offshore wind farms depends on atmospheric stability. A long-term study of the mast data for the years 2016 and 2017 demonstrates a clear dependence of stability on the wind direction. Stable conditions are predominantly expected during southerly winds coming from the land. The analysis of various stability and turbulence criteria shows that the lapse rate is the most robust parameter for stability classification in the German Bight, but further implies that stability depends on the measurement height. A near-surface (0 to 30 m), predominantly convective, layer is present and more stable conditions are found aloft (55 to 95 m). Combing the stability data with the airborne measurements of the offshore wind-farm wakes reveals the trend of a correlation between longer wake lengths and an increase in the initial wind-speed deficit downwind of a wind farm with stronger thermal stability. However, the stability correlation criteria with the wake length downstream of the four investigated wind farms, Godewind, Amrumbank West, Meerwind Süd/Ost, and Nordsee Ost, contain large variance. It is assumed that the observed scattering is due to the influence of the wind-farm architecture and temperature inversions around hub height. These, however, are crucial for the classification of stability and illustrate the complexity of a clear stability metric.

scholarly journals Current Source Converter Based Offshore Wind Farm: Configuration and Control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miteshkumar Nandlal Popat
Keyword(s):  
Wind Farm ◽  
Current Source ◽  
Wind Farms ◽  
Offshore Wind ◽  
Grid Integration ◽  
Offshore Wind Farm ◽  
Offshore Wind Farms ◽  
Control Scheme ◽  
Current Source Converter ◽  
Grid Side

Recently, offshore wind farms have emerged as the most promising sector in the global renewable energy industry. The main reasons for the rapid development of offshore wind farms includes much better wind resources and smaller environmental impact (e.g., audible noise and visual effect). However, the current state of the offshore wind power presents economic challenges significantly greater than onshore. In this thesis, a novel interconnecting method for permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG)-based offshore wind farm is proposed, where cascaded pulse-width modulated (PWM) current-source converters (CSCs) are employed on both generator- and grid-side. With the converters in cascade to achieve high operating voltages, the proposed method eliminates the need for bulky and very costly offshore converter substation which is usually employed in voltage source converter (VSC) high voltage DC (HVDC)-based counterparts. Related research in terms of control schemes and grid integration are carried out to adapt the proposed cascaded CSC-based offshore wind farm configuration. The large distance between generator- and grid-side CSC in the proposed wind farm configuration addresses significant challenges for the system control. In order to overcome the problem, a novel decoupled control scheme is developed. The active and reactive power control on the grid-side converters are achieved without any exchange of information from the generator-side controller. Therefore, the long distance communication links between the generator- and grid-side converters are eliminated and both controllers are completely decoupled. At the same time, the maximum power tracking control is achieved for the generator-side converters that enable full utilization of the wind energy. Considering inconsistent wind speed at each turbine, a coordinated control scheme is proposed for the cascaded CSC-based offshore wind farm. In proposed control strategy, the wind farm supervisory control (WFSC) is developed to generate the optimized dc-link current control. This enables all the turbines to independently track their own MPPT even with inconsistent wind speed at each turbine. Grid integration issues, especially the fault ride-through (FRT) capability for the cascaded CSC-based offshore wind farm are addressed. Challenges in implementing existing FRT methods to the proposed offshore wind farm are identified. Based on this, a new FRT strategy using inherent short circuit operating capability of the CSC is developed. Moreover, the mitigation strategy is developed to ensure the continuous operation of the cascaded CSC-based offshore wind farm when one or more turbines fail to operate. Simulation and experimental verification for various objectives are provided throughout the thesis. The results validate the proposed solutions for the main challenges of the cascaded current source converter based offshore wind farm.

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