Reliability Analysis of a Spar Buoy-supported Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Reliability Analysis of a Spar Buoy-supported Floating Offshore Wind Turbine
Author: Abhinav Sultania
Publisher:
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

While wind energy has witnessed faster growth than any other renewable energy source in recent years, two issues -- the decreasing availability of large land expanses for new wind farms and transmission difficulties arising from siting wind farms in remote regions far from load centers -- have slowed down this growth considerably. Siting wind turbines offshore places the generating capacity closer to population and load centers; thus, reducing grid congestion. Also, at offshore sites, one can expect higher wind speeds, decreased turbulence, and reduced noise and visual impact constraints. Offshore wind turbines that have been built thus far have had foundations (such as monopiles or jacket structures) that have extended to the seabed. Such offshore wind turbines have thus been confined to shallow waters closer to the shore. Sites farther offshore provide better wind resources (i.e., less turbulence and smoother, stronger winds) while also reducing visual impact, noise, etc. However, deeper waters encountered at such sites make bottom-supported turbines less economical. Wind turbines mounted atop floating platforms are, thus, being considered for deeper water offshore sites. Various floating platform concepts are under consideration; the chief differences among them arise from the way they provide stability to counter the large mass of the rotor-nacelle assembly located high above the mean water level. Of these alternative concepts, the spar buoy platform is a deep draft structure with a low center of gravity, below the center of buoyancy. Reliability analysis of a spar buoy-supported floating offshore 5MW wind turbine based on stochastic simulation is the subject of this study. Environmental data from a selected deepwater reference site are employed in the numerical studies. Using time-domain simulations, the dynamic behavior of the coupled platform-turbine system is studied; statistics of tower and rotor loads as well as platform motions are estimated and critical combinations of wind speed and wave height identified.

Reliability-Based Optimization of Floating Wind Turbine Support Structures

Reliability-Based Optimization of Floating Wind Turbine Support Structures
Author: Mareike Leimeister
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2023-01-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030968898

This book pursues the ambitious goal of combining floating wind turbine design optimization and reliability assessment, which has in fact not been done before. The topic is organized into a series of very ambitious objectives, which start with an initial state-of-the-art review, followed by the development of high-fidelity frameworks for a disruptive way to design next generation floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) support structures. The development of a verified aero-hydro-servo-elastic coupled numerical model of dynamics for FOWTs and a holistic framework for automated simulation and optimization of FOWT systems, which is later used for the coupling of design optimization with reliability assessment of FOWT systems in a computationally and time-efficient manner, has been an aim of many groups internationally towards implementing a performance-based/goal-setting approach in the design of complex engineering systems. The outcomes of this work quantify the benefits of an optimal design with a lower mass while fulfilling design constraints. Illustrating that comprehensive design methods can be combined with reliability analysis and optimization algorithms towards an integrated reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) can benefit not only the offshore wind energy industry but also other applications such as, among others, civil infrastructure, aerospace, and automotive engineering.

Dynamic Analysis of a Spar-type Offshore Floating Wind Turbine and Its Mooring System

Dynamic Analysis of a Spar-type Offshore Floating Wind Turbine and Its Mooring System
Author: Xue Xu
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2020
Genre:
ISBN:

The demand for developing sustainable and renewable energy is increasing due to the greenhouse gas effect and the reducing availability of fossil fuels. Wind energy is one of the cleanest and most sustainable renewable resources. People mainly use two types of wind turbines - onshore and offshore, to harvest the wind energy. Compared with onshore wind, offshore wind resources allow more reliable generation of electricity. In shallow water, bottom-fixed turbines may be used. However, as water depths increase it becomes increasingly difficult to build suitable fixed foundations, and floating offshore wind turbines become attractive. The OC3-Hywind is an offshore floating wind turbine (OFWT) supported by a spar platform and held in place with three mooring lines. It is important to study the dynamic responses of the floating platform and the mooring system behaviour so that the OFWT can be designed and constructed safely and economically and generate electricity with reliability. However, there are not many studies which have validated the numerical simulation results for floating offshore wind turbines with physical experiments while published studies rarely show the details of the mooring line motion behaviour for OFWTs. This thesis investigates the dynamic behaviour of a spar-type OFWT including its mooring systems, analysed under various environmental loads both by using state-of-the-art numerical software and conducting an experiment campaign at the Kelvin Hydrodynamics Laboratory. The free decay test has been carried out first to get the spar platform's motions natural frequencies and damping characteristics. A range of regular and irregular waves has been applied to the platform (both with and without realistic mooring lines) to obtain the platform motion RAO (response amplitude operator) - which can be used to predict the platform dynamic responses under other wave conditions - and to examine the reliability of the numerical predictions under realistic sea conditions. For the mooring line tensions and motion, the software shows its limitations in the calculation. A non-linear snatching phenomenon has been observed at the tank for some wave frequencies, which has rarely been discussed in published research. It is very important to study this non-linear behaviour as it is shown that snatching leads to the high instantaneous mooring line loads and platform accelerations, which could cause the failure of the mooring lines in the real structure.

Dynamic Response and Reliability Analysis of an Offshore Wind Turbine Supported by a Semi-submersible Platform

Dynamic Response and Reliability Analysis of an Offshore Wind Turbine Supported by a Semi-submersible Platform
Author: Edwin Thomas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2015
Genre:
ISBN:

Wind Energy is the fastest growing renewable energy source in the world. The trend is expected to continue with falling costs of technology, energy security concerns and the need to address environmental issues. Offshore wind turbines have a few important advantages over land-based turbines; offshore sites experience stronger and less turbulent winds, there are fewer negative aesthetic impacts in an offshore location, there is greater ease in the transport of wind turbine components over sea than on land, etc. Large offshore wind turbines mounted atop floating platforms offer a viable solution for deepwater sites. Of the various floating platform concepts that are being considered, a moored semi-submersible platform is considered in this study. The dynamic response and reliability analysis of a 13.2~MW offshore wind turbine supported by a moored semi-submersible platform is the subject of this study. A model for this integrated system has been developed and its various physical, geometric, and dynamic properties have been studied in this and another associated study. Loads data for the extreme and fatigue analysis of such systems are generally attained by running time-domain simulations for a range of sea states that are representative of the expected site-specific metocean conditions. The selected site of interest in the North Sea has a water depth of 200 m. The Environmental Contour (EC) method is used to identify sea states of interest that are associated with a target return period (50 years). These sea states are considered in short-term (1-hour) simulations of the integrated turbine-platform-mooring system. The dynamic behavior of the integrated wind turbine system is studied. Critical sea states for the various response loads are identified and the sensitivity of the system to the metocean conditions is discussed. Estimation of 50-year response levels (for turbine loads, platform motions, and the mooring line tension at the fairlead) associated with the target probability is subsequently carried out using 2D and 3D Inverse First-Order Reliability Method (FORM) approaches.

Floating Offshore Wind Energy

Floating Offshore Wind Energy
Author: Joao Cruz
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2016-08-20
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3319293982

This book provides a state-of-the-art review of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT). It offers developers a global perspective on floating offshore wind energy conversion technology, documenting the key challenges and practical solutions that this new industry has found to date. Drawing on a wide network of experts, it reviews the conception, early design stages, load & structural analysis and the construction of FOWT. It also presents and discusses data from pioneering projects. Written by experienced professionals from a mix of academia and industry, the content is both practical and visionary. As one of the first titles dedicated to FOWT, it is a must-have for anyone interested in offshore renewable energy conversion technologies.

Dynamic Response Analysis of Spar Buoy Floating Wind Turbine Systems

Dynamic Response Analysis of Spar Buoy Floating Wind Turbine Systems
Author: Sungho Lee (Ph. D.)
Publisher:
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2008
Genre:
ISBN:

The importance of alternative energy development has been dramatically increased by the dwindling supplies of oil and gas, and our growing efforts to protect our environment. A variety of meaningful steps have been taken in order to come up with cleaner, healthier and more affordable energy alternatives. Wind energy is one of the most reliable energy alternatives for countries that have sufficiently large wind sources. Due to the presence of steady and strong winds, and the distance from coastline residential, the offshore wind farm has become highly attractive as an ideal energy crisis solution. Floating wind turbine systems are being considered as a key solution to make the offshore wind farm feasible from an economic viewpoint, and viable as an energy resource. This paper presents the design of a synthetic mooring system for spar buoy floating wind turbines functioning in shallow water depths. Nacelle acceleration, static and dynamic tensions on catenaries, the maximum tension acting on the anchors are considered as design performances, and a stochastic analysis method has been used to evaluate those quantities based on sea state spectral density functions. The performance at a 100-year hurricane condition is being defined as a limiting case, and a linear wave theory has been the most fundamental theory applied for the present analysis.

Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines

Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines
Author: Transportation Research Board
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 109
Release: 2011-09-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309225159

TRB Special Report 305: Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines: Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation explores the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) approach to overseeing the development and safe operation of wind turbines on the outer continental shelf, with a focus on structural safety. The committee that developed the report recommended that in order to facilitate the orderly development of offshore wind energy and support the stable economic development of this nascent industry, the United States needs a set of clear requirements that can accommodate future design development. The report recommends that BOEMRE develop a set of requirements that establish goals and objectives with regard to structural integrity, environmental performance, and energy generation. The committee found that the risks to human life and the environment associated with offshore wind farms are substantially lower than for other industries such as offshore oil and gas, because offshore wind farms are primarily unmanned and contain minimal quantities of hazardous substances. This finding implies that an approach with significantly less regulatory oversight may be taken for offshore wind farms. Under this approach, industry would be responsible for proposing sets of standards, guidelines, and recommended practices that meet the performance requirements established by BOEMRE. The domestic industry can build on standards, guidelines, and practices developed in Europe, where the offshore wind energy is further developed, but will have to fill gaps such as the need to address wave and wind loadings encountered in hurricanes. The report also includes findings and recommendations about the role that certified verification agents (third party evaluators) can play in reviewing packages of standards and project-specific proposals.

Offshore Wind Energy Technology

Offshore Wind Energy Technology
Author: Olimpo Anaya-Lara
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2018-05-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1119097789

A COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE TO THE MOST RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN OFFSHORE WIND TECHNOLOGY Offshore Wind Energy Technology offers a reference based on the research material developed by the acclaimed Norwegian Research Centre for Offshore Wind Technology (NOWITECH) and material developed by the expert authors over the last 20 years. This comprehensive text covers critical topics such as wind energy conversion systems technology, control systems, grid connection and system integration, and novel structures including bottom-fixed and floating. The text also reviews the most current operation and maintenance strategies as well as technologies and design tools for novel offshore wind energy concepts. The text contains a wealth of mathematical derivations, tables, graphs, worked examples, and illustrative case studies. Authoritative and accessible, Offshore Wind Energy Technology: Contains coverage of electricity markets for offshore wind energy and then discusses the challenges posed by the cost and limited opportunities Discusses novel offshore wind turbine structures and floaters Features an analysis of the stochastic dynamics of offshore/marine structures Describes the logistics of planning, designing, building, and connecting an offshore wind farm Written for students and professionals in the field, Offshore Wind Energy Technology is a definitive resource that reviews all facets of offshore wind energy technology and grid connection.