Theoretical study and experimental verification of vibration control of offshore wind turbines by a ball vibration absorber

In this paper, a ball vibration absorber (BVA) is introduced for vibration control of offshore wind turbines. The dynamic responses of offshore wind turbines equipped with a BVA are presented. Both theoretical and experimental investigations are carried out. An analytical model for the wind turbine tower system with installed BVA is developed based on Lagrange's equation. The BVA-structure integrated equations are derived and solved in both time domain and frequency domain. A series of shaking table tests on a 1/13-scale wind turbine model with and without a BVA were carried out to evaluate the effects of BVA on the vibration mitigation of the wind turbine tower system under earthquakes and equivalent wind-wave loads. Numerical simulations of the system are performed and compared with the experimental results. Good agreement between the numerical and experimental results is observed. The results indicate that BVA could effectively improve the performance of the offshore wind turbine.     

Tuned liquid column dampers in offshore wind turbines for structural control

With offshore wind turbines becoming larger, being moved out further at sea and subjected to ever greater wind and wave forces, it is necessary to analyse the dynamics and minimise the responses of these structures. In this paper, the structural responses of offshore wind turbines are simulated with an attached damper (Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD)) for controlling the vibrations induced within the structure. This requires a realistic simulation of the forces that these tall, flexible and slender structures are subjected to, and consequently the implementation of a damper to control the resulting undesirable vibrations that are induced within the structure. Since sea waves are caused by wind blowing for a sufficiently long time, the state of the sea is related to wind parameters and there exists the possibility of correlating wind and wave loading conditions on structures. The Kaimal spectrum for wind loading is combined with the JONSWAP wave spectrum to formulate correlated wind and wave loadings. The offshore turbine tower is modelled as a Multi-Degree-of-Freedom (MDOF) structure. Cases for flat sea conditions, with which parallels to onshore wind turbines may be drawn, are first simulated. Simulations are presented for the MDOF structure subjected to both ‘moderate’ and ‘strong’ wind and wave loadings. Cases of the blades lumped at the nacelle along with rotating blades are investigated. The reduction in bending moments and structural displacement response with TLCDs for each case are examined. A fatigue analysis is carried out and the implementation of TLCDs is seen to enhance the fatigue life of the structure. An analysis, taking into account the extended fatigue life and reduced bending moments on the structure-TLCD system, is presented.     

Wind field simulation of large horizontal‐axis wind turbine system under different operating conditions

This paper proposes a technique of generating turbulent wind velocities on large horizontal‐axis wind turbine systems under different operating conditions. The rotational sampling effect, vertical wind shear and coherence between wind velocities at blades and on the tower were taken into account. Coordinate system of wind time series at certain discrete sampling points on the vertical plane of the wind turbine is generated by the hybrid weighted amplitude wave superposition and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) methods. The POD eigenmodes on the blades after updating locations were calculated subsequently using B‐spline surface interpolation method, and the rotationally sampled wind velocities are reconstructed by taking advantage of POD method again. Examples are subsequently presented to validate this proposed technique and demonstrate the generation of wind velocities under different operating conditions. The results show that the simulated spectrum of turbulent wind velocities at blades corresponds well to the measured data and that on the tower agrees well with the fixed point Kaimal spectrum. The reasonable sampling points spacing is suggested to be about 10 m for the wind field simulation of wind turbine system. The proposed method is of great advantage in accuracy and efficiency, which is greatly significant for the fine analysis of multi‐megawatt wind turbines. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Wind field simulation and wind‐induced responses of large wind turbine tower‐blade coupled structure

Herein, by a case study on a 5‐MW wind turbine system developed by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the wind field simulation and wind‐induced vibration characteristics of wind turbine tower‐blade coupled systems is analyzed. First, the blade‐nacelle‐tower‐basis integrated finite element model with centrifugal forces induced by rotational blades is established. Then, based on a harmony superposition method and the modified blade element‐momentum theory, the fluctuating wind field of tower‐blade coupled systems is simulated, which considers wind shear effect, tower shadow effect, rotational effect, blade‐tower dynamic and model interaction effects. Finally, the wind‐induced dynamic responses and wind vibration coefficients of the wind turbine tower‐blade coupled structure are discussed through the ‘consistent coupled method’ previously proposed by us. The results indicate that the wind‐induced responses of a large wind turbine tower‐blade coupled structure present complicated modal responses and multimode coupling effect. Additionally, the rotational effect would amplify aerodynamic loads on blades with high frequency, wind‐induced dynamic responses and wind vibration coefficients of wind turbine tower. The centrifugal force effect could also amplify natural vibration frequency of the tower‐blade coupled system and reduce the wind‐induced dynamic responses and wind vibration coefficients of wind turbine tower. The research could contribute to wind‐resistant design of structure for a large‐scale wind turbine tower‐blade system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中空夹层钢管混凝土风力机塔架风振性能研究

传统风力发电机组塔架大多为锥形单管钢薄壁细长结构,此类结构在叶片转动及风荷载作用下易发生大的变形和振动。为克服传统风电塔自身发展的局限性并发挥中空夹层钢管混凝土(CFDST)结构优良的力学性能,基于某锥形钢塔筒,通过承载力等效提出CFDST塔筒结构形式,利用ABAQUS软件建立其风振性能有限元模型,对比了两种塔筒的振动模态。从时域和频域对二者在不同荷载工况下的动力响应特征进行对比分析,并对塔筒与叶片是否共振及瞬态冲击荷载下的振动进行了研究。结果表明:CFDST塔筒在保证原有钢塔筒抗弯承载力和刚度的同时,底部截面尺寸减小了25.6%,且不会与叶轮转动产生的谐波激励发生共振; 阻尼对风机塔筒位移、速度、加速度及应力响应幅值影响显著; 与钢塔筒相比,CFDST塔筒在正常运行荷载工况下峰值位移、加速度幅值和最大等效应力分别降低21.1%、30.2%和41.6%,而在暴风荷载工况下,分别减小14.4%、32.2%和36.3%; 研究成果可为相关塔筒的设计优化提供参考。     

小型风力机塔筒减振环减振控制的研究

小型风力机在风轮起动至额定转速或者由额定转速降至起动状态的过渡区间有共振点,如果共振持续较长的时间,就会造成严重的事故。本文依据小型风力机塔筒的结构形式和共振特点,研制了小型风力机防共振的减振装置—减振环,对小型风力机塔筒进行减振控制。在无减振环和有减振环两种情况下,分别对一小型风力机塔筒进行了水平正弦荷载作用下的时程分析,以考察减振环对小型风力机塔筒的减振效果。结果表明,减振环的减振效果达到70%以上,减振效果明显。减振环的研制填补了小型风力机减振装置的空白,为小型风力机塔筒振动控制的理论研究和工程设计提供有价值的参考。     

海上单桩风机结构冰激振动响应分析

针对冰区海上单桩风机易发生冰激振动的问题,以NREL5MW风机为对象,详细开展其在风-冰联合作用下的动力响应研究.基于叶素动量理论,考虑Prandtl叶尖损失修正和Grauert修正,利用MATLAB编程计算获得叶片空气动力载荷;基于M??tt?nen自激振动模型,采用APDL开发冰区风机自激振动分析程序;基于我国渤海...     

Control of wind/wave-induced vibrations of jacket-type offshore wind turbines through tuned liquid column gas dampers

Wind/wave-induced vibrations of jacket-type offshore wind turbines (JOWTs) are suppressed by placing a passive vibration absorber, called tuned liquid column gas damper (TLCGD), on the turbine nacelle. Adopting an ensemble of 75 wind/wave combinations, three different JOWTs and a SimuLink-based nonlinear model in time domain, main parameters of the TLCGD are optimised to reach the minimum standard deviation of nacelle displacement. Obtained results indicate that contribution of the proposed TLCGD is more pronounced in the case of regular excitations such as those from sea waves and less turbulent winds. Depending on the wind/wave combination, TLCGD can result in reductions up to 45% and 51% in nacelle displacement standard deviation and maximum acceleration, respectively. As a result, TLCGD deemed to be well suited to protect fatigue critical JOWTs as well as acceleration-sensitive devices of the nacelle.     

考虑桨叶旋转效应的海上风力发电高塔系统随机风振响应与动力可靠度分析

研究了考虑桨叶旋转效应的海上风力发电高塔系统随机动力响应与风振可靠度分析.在风场模拟中,桨叶风荷载需要考虑旋转效应的影响.因此,对塔体风荷载,直接采用基于物理机制的随机Fourier谱,而对桨叶风荷载,则采用考虑桨叶旋转机制的随机Fourier谱概念.在此基础上,结合概率密度演化理论,对海上风力发电高塔系统进行了随机动力响应分析以及基于塔顶位移响应的风振动力可靠度分析.结果表明,上述方法能够有效地进行此类结构的随机动力响应及可靠度分析.     

风力发电机组的有限元分析及动力特性研究

风力发电近年发展迅猛,中国是世界第一风能大国,安装有大量风力发电机组.风力发电机组受到风荷载和地震等动力作用,通常采用有限元方法建立风力发电机组的动力学模型.由于叶片参数不易获得,有限元建模可将叶轮和机舱质量集中在塔架顶部(模型1),或采用等截面均质梁模拟叶片(模型2).本文基于某65kW风力发电机组试验数据,分析了两种模型动力特性的差异.结果表明:模型1的1、2阶塔架频率与试验数据误差在10%以内,模型2可进一步减小误差.但叶片刚度对风力发电机组频率影响较大,如果叶片刚度选择不当,会造成较大误差.模型1和模型2的1阶塔架模态几乎相同,但2阶模态存在一定差异.     

风力发电机组塔架的结构形式及其风载、地震作用综述

风力发电机组的塔架属于高耸结构,承受风荷载和地震作用,可采用钢筒、钢格构、钢筋混凝土筒和钢一混凝土组合筒等多种结构形式。本文简要分析了各种结构形式的优缺点及研究现状,认为随着风力发电机组越来越大型化,钢塔筒面临运输和施工吊装困难。而其它形式的塔架,如钢格构、钢筋混凝土筒和钢一混凝土组合筒塔架,具有易运输、易施工的优点,已获得一定应用,并可能进一步推广。目前,对钢塔筒的研究较多,而对其它形式的塔架研究较少;并且由于叶片数据缺乏,风力发电机组承受的风、地震作用的计算不很准确;此外,研究者分析的风力发电机组数量有限,所得结论不一定具有普遍性。     

Application of vector form intrinsic finite element on integrated simulation of wind turbine

Large wind turbine system is a periodic time‐varying system with many rigid‐flexible coupling bodies. It is difficult to deal with the singular stiffness matrix produced by the rotation of blades via the traditional finite element method. However, the vector form intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) method can effectively solve the geometric deformation of elastic continuum, the nonlinear or discrete constitutive model, the coupling motion continuum, and rigid body. In this study, a solver program of space beam element is developed by VFIFE method, and three typical examples are chosen to verify its accuracy. And then the integrated simulation of wind turbine system is established, and its dynamic response is analyzed. The natural frequencies of the turbine system, which are obtained by modal parameter identification, can agree well with the results obtained by traditional finite element method. The weighted amplitude wave superposition method and the proper orthogonal decomposition method as well as B‐spline surface interpolation are employed to obtain the wind time series of wind turbine under the normal operation condition. The wind‐induced dynamic response of wind turbine system is calculated by VFIFE method. The numerical results can reflect the periodic influence of gravity on the internal forces of blades and the interaction between blades and the tower.     

Numerical Modeling of Dynamic Behavior of Annular Tuned Liquid Dampers for Applications in Wind Towers

Abstract: In this study, the performance of annular liquid tanks as a tuned liquid damper (TLD) in mitigating the vibration of wind turbines was investigated using a numerical model. A proposed hybrid wind tower model composed of a concrete shaft and a steel mast with a height of 150 m was simulated using a single‐degree‐of‐freedom system. The structural domain including the tank wall and a rigid mass was modeled using finite element method, while the fluid domain was simulated by finite volume method using CFX software. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the behavior of annular TLD under harmonic loads for different mass and frequency ratios as well as displacement amplitudes. The damping characteristics of the annular TLD model were derived by comparing the numerical results with an equivalent linear model. In addition, the effectiveness of annular TLD was estimated by comparing the numerically calculated damping ratios with those corresponding to the optimum damping ratio values derived for a particular mass ratio based on the concept of tuned mass damper. It was found that that the annular TLD is effective when the amplitude of excitation is small. Moreover, the response of TLD in terms of nonlinear free surface sloshing and the energy dissipated by the system was discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of annular TLD in reducing the structural response of wind turbine towers under random vibrations was evaluated and discussed.     

Design optimization of steel–concrete hybrid wind turbine tower based on improved genetic algorithm

The steel–concrete hybrid wind turbine tower is characterized by the lower part of the traditional steel tubular tower replaced with the concrete segment. The lateral stiffness will be improved obviously, and then, the excessive vibration of the steel tower can be solved effectively. Based on the improved genetic algorithm, an optimization program is built to consider the influence of materials, labor, machinery, and transportation on the construction cost of a steel–concrete hybrid tower for a 2.0‐MW wind turbine with a hub height of 120 m, in which the initial height of the concrete segment is 32 m. During the optimization process, design requirements of relevant specifications and industry standards are used as the constraints. The optimization variables include the bottom and top diameters of the tower, the wall thickness of each segment, the height of the concrete segment, and the area of the prestressed steel strand. By comparing the results of construction cost and structural capacity before and after optimization, it can be found that the steel–concrete hybrid wind turbine tower after optimization has the better structural stiffness and lower construction cost. The proposed optimization program can meet the design requirements and significantly improve the economic performance of the tower.     

Structural performance and cost analysis of wind-induced vibration control schemes for a real super-tall building

To evaluate different energy dissipation systems used to control wind-induced vibrations of a 456 m super-tall building in fluctuating wind excitations, the finite element (FE) method was employed to simulate the dynamic responses of the building. A series of wind tunnel pressure tests were conducted on a 1:450 scale model to determine the wind forces acting on the super-tall building. A FE model was also constructed and mass, damping and stiffness matrices were subsequently formulated as an evaluation model for numerical analysis. The evaluation model was further simplified to a state reduced-order system using the state order reduction method. Three different vibration control schemes, namely a tuned mass damper (TMD) system, a system containing only nonlinear viscous dampers and a hybrid control system combining TMD and viscous dampers, were examined through simulations with respect to their effectiveness in reducing the accelerations at the top of the building. Furthermore, a cost evaluation was conducted to determine the most economical structural design and vibration control scheme. The results show that the wind-induced vibrations of the analysed building can be controlled effectively by all the three examined schemes, while the hybrid control scheme and the scheme containing only viscous dampers further reduce the wind-induced vibration to satisfy a more stringent criterion for a six-star hotel. In addition, the hybrid vibration control scheme is also the most cost-effective among the examined schemes.     

考虑塔-线耦合作用的输电塔体系风振系数研究

考虑塔-线耦合作用的体系风振响应以及对应情况下的输电塔等效风荷载的风振系数取值是输电塔抗风设计的基础,结合某220kV输电线路一塔两线实例,通过气弹性风洞试验和有限元数值模拟的方式,研究输电塔在考虑导、地线耦合作用下的风振响应规律,计算其对应的输电塔等效风荷载的风振系数,并与我国现行规范中的相关取值进行对比,结果表明:横担和输电线的存在使得塔身中上部的风振系数明显增大,在进行输电塔设计时需考虑其影响;建议采用《建筑结构荷载规范》(GB 50009—2012)和《高耸结构设计规范》(GB50135—2006)来计算风振系数时,对横担位置进行修正或单独考虑,而《架空输电线路荷载规范》(DLT5551—2018)更适用于输电塔类结构的风振系数的计算。     

风力发电结构动力反应的一体化有限元模型分析

本文通过对风力发电结构系统地震作用下的动力反应的大量研究,提出了一种可用于分析风力发电结构的"桨叶—塔体—基础"一体化有限元模型,并结合土-结构相互作用的分析形成了另一种对比模型。利用上述分析模型对风力发电结构分别进行动力荷载作用下的模态分析和动力时程分析。结果表明,地震作用下考虑土-结构相互作用对风力发电结构动力响应的影响不容忽视,并且可为工程设计提供参考。     

Dynamic characterisation of wind turbine towers account for a monopile foundation and different soil conditions

The response of wind turbines is induced by dynamic loads such as wind, transient and cyclic loads, and also extreme loads such as earthquakes. Thus, the structural design requires an accurate evaluation of the modal parameters of the system because it is strongly required that no resonances are excited. Moreover, it has been concluded from previous research works that soil–structure interaction (SSI) should be accounted for the analysis. In the present paper, the structural dynamic response of wind turbine towers is investigated considering different soil conditions using a numerical model. This research is focused on SSI effects. Firstly, changes in the modal parameters of three different wind turbines considering the effect of three soils are evaluated. The results show that the evaluation of the natural frequency and the resulting classification of the wind turbine design type can be affected by SSI. The obtained results could be used to evaluate the decrement of the natural frequency of the wind turbine account for the soil and the foundation in relation to the frequency computed without soil interaction. Next, the seismic response of the wind tower is analysed considering two seismic events: a horizontally polarised shear incident wave and El Centro earthquake.     

Vibration characteristics identification of ultra-long cables of a cable-stayed bridge in normal operation based on half-year monitoring data

Abstract

The Sutong Bridge with a span of 1088?m is supported by 272 cables, whose lengths range from 152.85?m to 576.77?m (the longest in the world). The half-year vibration acceleration data of two cables from structural health monitoring system (SHMS) is analysed, in conjunction with the wind field data, weather data and vehicle data to explore and three types of cable vibrations. The large-scale cable vibration is mainly rain-wind-induced vibrations (RWIV) when the wind direction lies in an angular range of 40°–80° relative to the cable axis, and the bridge-deck wind velocity is 4–20?m/s. The ultra-long cable also experiences in-plane vibrations, which satisfy many characteristics of vortex-induced vibrations (VIVs). Cable VIV occurs only when the bridge-deck wind velocity 4–8?m/s, with the frequency ranging from 9.5?Hz to 10?Hz. The daily small-amplitude vibration of the cables and steel girder is mainly induced by the passage of heavy trucks. There exists a positive correlation between the number of heavy trucks and the vibration level. Based on the characteristics and occurrence probabilities of these three types of cable vibrations, corresponding measures are suggested for the maintenance of ultra-long cables.     

Numerical and experimental analysis of the vibration serviceability of the Bears’ Cage footbridge

The Bears’ Cage footbridge is a slender steel structure with a single span. Its dynamic behaviour is predicted based on a refined finite-element (FE) model and the vibration serviceability is assessed according to the current codes of practice. The assessment indicates a high susceptibility to human-induced vibrations with disturbing vibration levels even for sparse pedestrian densities. To validate the predicted behaviour of the structure, an extensive experimental study is performed including static deflection and dynamic vibration tests. The analysis shows that statically, the longitudinal movement of the supports on one side of the span can be considered unconstrained, indicating a behaviour of the sliding pot bearings as designed. Due to the footbridge’s arch-like shape, the longitudinal stiffness of the supports highly influences the natural frequency of the fundamental bending mode. The analysis shows that the longitudinal stiffness of sliding pot bearings and the structural inherent damping ratio of the fundamental mode significantly reduces once an initial friction level in the sliding pot bearings is overcome as the result of a significant movement at the supports. The vibration serviceability is reassessed based on the calibrated FE model and shows that even for high pedestrian densities, maximum vibration comfort is ensured.