scholarly journals Impact of the ground clearance on the annual energy production and tower cost of an offshore wind turbine

Author(s):  
Do Tung Duong Do

This article analyzes the impact of the ground clearance on the Annual Energy Production (AEP) and tower cost of a 20 MW offshore wind turbine. In addition, the influence of the rated wind speed on the analysis result will be considered. The AEP is computed by considering wind speed variation over the swept area of the rotor blades. The tapered tubular steel tower is considered for mass and cost calculation. The tower is considered as a fixed-free cantilever beam with concentrated mass at the free end. The analysis shows that the ground clearance only has a minor impact on the AEP but it has a remarkable impact on the tower mass. Specifically, when the ground clearance reaches 50 meters, the AEP only increases by roughly 3% while tower mass is nearly doubled compared to the case with no ground clearance. The results also reveal the significant impact of the rated speed on both the AEP and tower mass.

Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Xiaoqi Qu ◽  
Liqin Liu ◽  
Peng Xie ◽  
Tianchang Yin ◽  
...  

Abstract Simulations are conducted in time domain to investigate the dynamic response of a spar-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) under the freak wave scenarios. Toward this end, a coupled aero-hydro-mooring in-house numerical code is adopted to perform the simulations. The methodology includes a blade-element-momentum (BEM) model for simulating the aerodynamic loads, a nonlinear model for simulating the hydrodynamic loads, a nonlinear restoring model of Spar buoy, and a nonlinear algorithm for simulating the mooring cables. The OC3 Hywind spar-type FOWT is adopted as an example to study the dynamic response under the freak wave conditions, meanwhile the time series of freak waves are generated using the random frequency components selection phase modulation method. The motion of platform, the tension applied on the mooring lines, and the power generation performance are documented in several cases. According to the simulations, it is indicated that when a freak wave acts on the FOWT, the transient motion of the FOWT is induced in all degrees-of-freedom, as well as the produced power decreases rapidly. Furthermore, the impact of freak wave parameters on the motion of FOWT is discussed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 52-54 ◽  
pp. 1556-1559
Author(s):  
Ping He ◽  
Nai Chao Chen ◽  
Dan Mei Hu

The liquid-gas flow is proposed to accurately simulate the offshore environmental state. The aerodynamic feature is estimated using the three-dimensional model of horizontal-axis wind turbine with NRELS809 series aerofoil by means of the simulating software tool of FLUENT. The variable speed is implemented via the six different wind speeds. The calculated results show that the similarly evolutional tendency of velocity occurs in the wake region when operating at the six variable speeds. The stall speed is related to blade height and wind speed. The small blade height or large wind speed also leads to the serious stall phenomenon. The total force is conducted to estimate the potential capability for leeward and windward surface to capture wind power. The calculated results reveal that the larger wind speed facilitates generating the more magnitude of total force. However, the velocity and force feature for the wind turbine has the especially rapid change at the wind speed of 6 m/s, which perhaps results from the intrinsic geometry and configuration.


Author(s):  
Xiaolu Chen ◽  
Zhiyu Jiang ◽  
Qinyuan Li ◽  
Ye Li

Abstract Evaluation of dynamic responses under extreme environmental conditions is important for the structural design of offshore wind turbines. Previously, a modified environmental contour method has been proposed to estimate extreme responses. In the method, the joint distribution of environmental variables near the cut-out wind speed is used to derive the critical environmental conditions for a specified return period, and the turbulence intensity (TI) of wind is assumed to be a deterministic value. To address more realistic wind conditions, this paper considers the turbulence intensity as a stochastic variable and investigates the impact on the modified environmental contour. Aerodynamic simulations are run over a range of mean wind speeds at the hub height from 9–25 m/s and turbulence levels between 9%–15%. Dynamic responses of a monopile offshore wind turbine under extreme conditions were studied, and the importance of considering the uncertainties associated with wind turbulence is highlighted. A case of evaluating the extreme response for 50-year environmental contour is given as an example of including TI as an extra variant in environmental contour method. The result is compared with traditional method in which TI is set as a constant of 15%. It shows that taking TI into consideration based on probabilistic method produces a lower extreme response prediction.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (32) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Ray-Yeng Yang ◽  
Hsin-Hung Chen ◽  
Hwung-Hweng Hwung ◽  
Wen-Pin Jiang ◽  
Nian-Tzu Wu

A 1:36 scale model tests were carried out in the Medium Wave Flume (MWF) and Near-shore Wave Basin (NSWB) at the Tainan Hydraulics Laboratory (THL) with the jacket type offshore wind turbine foundation located in the test area. The loading of typhoon wave with current on the jacket type offshore wind turbine foundation was investigated in the MWF with fixed bed experiment. Meanwhile, the scour around the jacket type offshore wind turbine foundation exposed to wave and current was conducted in the NSWB with the moveable bed experiment. Two locations (water depth 12m and 16m) of the foundations are separately simulated in this study. Based on the analysis from the former NSWB experimental results, the suitable scour protection of a four-layer work around the foundation is also proposed to the impact of scour. Finally, a four-layer scour protection is tested and found to be effective in preventing scour around jacket type foundation of offshore wind turbines at water depth 12m and 16m.


2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Popko ◽  
Amy Robertson ◽  
Jason Jonkman ◽  
Fabian Wendt ◽  
Philipp Thomas ◽  
...  

Abstract The main objective of the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation, with Correlation (OC5) project is validation of aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tools for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) through comparison of simulated results to the response data of physical systems. Phase III of the OC5 project validates OWT models against the measurements recorded on a Senvion 5M wind turbine supported by the OWEC Quattropod from the alpha ventus offshore wind farm. The following operating conditions of the wind turbine were chosen for the validation: (1) idling below the cut-in wind speed, (2) rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) rotation maneuver below the cut-in wind speed, (3) power production below and above the rated wind speed, and (4) shutdown. A number of validation load cases were defined based on these operating conditions. The following measurements were used for validation: (1) strains and accelerations recorded on the support structure and (2) pitch, yaw, and azimuth angles, generator speed, and electrical power recorded from the RNA. Strains were not directly available from the majority of the OWT simulation tools; therefore, strains were calculated based on out-of-plane bending moments, axial forces, and cross-sectional properties of the structural members. The simulation results and measurements were compared in terms of time series, discrete Fourier transforms, power spectral densities, and probability density functions of strains and accelerometers. A good match was achieved between the measurements and models setup by OC5 Phase III participants.


Author(s):  
Charise Cutajar ◽  
Tonio Sant ◽  
Robert N. Farrugia ◽  
Daniel Buhagiar

Abstract Offshore wind technology is at the forefront of exploiting renewable energy at sea. The latest innovations in the field comprise floating wind turbines deployed in deep waters that are capable of intercepting the stronger, less turbulent winds farther away from the landmass. Despite being able to augment the power harnessed, wind resources remain intermittent in nature, and so unable to satisfy the energy demand at all times. Energy storage systems (ESS) are therefore being considered a key component to smoothen out the supply-demand mismatch when wind penetration into electricity grids increases. Yet, multiple issues pertaining to the integration of ESSs on large-scale projects arise, including economic, environmental and safety considerations. This paper presents a novel concept for integrating a hydro-pneumatic energy storage (HPES) system within a spar-type floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) platform. It aims to assess the technical feasibility of integrating the storage unit within the floater. A preliminary investigation on the influence of integrated storage on the static stability and hydrostatic response of a conventional ballast-stabilised FOWT is conducted, followed by numerical simulations for the dynamic response using ANSYS® AQWA™. Based on the results presented, several conclusions are drawn on the implications of integrating energy storage with floating wind turbine structures. Finally, a preliminary assessment of the thermal efficiency of the storage system based on this specific embodiment is also presented and discussed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 443-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arash Dashtkar ◽  
Homayoun Hadavinia ◽  
M Necip Sahinkaya ◽  
Neil A Williams ◽  
Samireh Vahid ◽  
...  

Wind blades are the most expensive parts of wind turbines made from fibre-reinforced polymer composites. The blades play a critical role on the energy production, but they are prone to damage like any other composite components. Leading edge (LE) erosion of the wind turbine blades is one of the common damages, causing a reduction in the annual energy production especially in offshore wind turbine farms. This erosion can be caused by rain, sand and flying solid particles. Coating the blade against erosion using appropriate materials can drastically reduce these losses and hence is of great interest. The sol–gel technique is a convenient method to manufacture thin film coatings, which can protect the blades against the rain erosion, while having negligible effect on the weight of the blades. This article provides an extensive review of the liquid erosion mechanism, water erosion testing procedures and the contributing factors to the erosion of the LE of wind turbine blades. Techniques for improving the erosion resistance of the LE using carbon nanotubes and graphene nano-additives are also discussed.


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