Availability,operation and maintenance costs of offshore wind turbines with different drive train configurations

Different configurations of gearbox, generator and power converter exist for offshore wind turbines. This paper investigated the performance of four prominent drive train configurations over a range of sites distinguished by their distance to shore. Failure rate data from onshore and offshore wind turbine populations was used where available or systematically estimated where no data was available. This was inputted along with repair resource requirements to an offshore accessibility and operation and maintenance model to calculate availability and operation and maintenance costs for a baseline wind farm consisting of 100 turbines. The results predicted that turbines with a permanent magnet generator and a fully rated power converter will have a higher availability and lower operation and maintenance costs than turbines with doubly fed induction generators. This held true for all sites in this analysis. It was also predicted that in turbines with a permanent magnet generator, the direct drive configuration has the highest availability and lowest operation and maintenance costs followed by the turbines with two‐stage and three‐stage gearboxes. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simple analytical wind park model considering atmospheric stability

The analytical top‐down wind park model by Emeis and Frandsen 1 is enhanced by consistently making both the downward momentum flux and the momentum loss at the rough surface dependent on atmospheric stability. Specifying the surface roughness underneath the turbines in a wind farm in the model gives the opportunity to investigate principal differences between onshore and offshore wind parks, because the roughness length of the sea surface is two to three orders of magnitude lower than the roughness length of land surfaces. Implications for the necessary distance between single turbines in offshore wind farms and the distance between neighbouring wind parks are computed. It turns out from the model simulations that over smooth surfaces offshore the wind speed reduction at hub height in a wind farm is larger than over rough onshore surfaces given the same density of turbines within the park. Mean wind profiles within the park are also calculated from this model. Offshore wind farms must have a larger distance between each other in order to avoid shadowing effects of the upstream farm. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical study of a concept for major repair and replacement of offshore wind turbine blades

Repair and replacement of offshore wind turbine blades are necessary for current and future offshore wind turbines. To date, repair activities are often conducted using huge jack‐up crane vessels and by applying a reverse installation procedure. Because of the high costs associated with installation and removal of offshore wind turbine components and the low profit margin of the offshore wind industry, alternative methods for installation and removal are needed. This paper introduces a novel concept for replacement or installation of offshore wind turbine blades. The concept involves a medium‐sized jack‐up crane vessel and a tower climbing mechanism. This mechanism provides a stable platform for clamping, lowering, and lifting of a blade. A case study of a 5‐MW offshore wind turbine is shown, where common engineering practices were applied and numerical simulations of the marine operations were carried out using finite element and multibody simulation tools. Operational limits for wave and wind actions were established to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the proposed concept.     

Valuing the manufacturing externalities of wind energy: assessing the environmental profit and loss of wind turbines in Northern Europe

This study draws from a concept from green accounting, lifecycle assessment, and industrial ecology known as 'environmental profit and loss” (EP&L) to determine the extent of externalities across the manufacturing lifecycle of wind energy. So far, no EP&Ls have involved energy companies and none have involved wind energy or wind turbines. We perform an EP&L for three types of wind turbines sited and built in Northern Europe (Denmark and Norway) by a major manufacturer: a 3.2 MW onshore turbine with a mixed concrete steel foundation, a 3.0 MW offshore turbine with a steel foundation, and a 3.0 MW offshore turbine with a concrete foundation. For each of these three turbine types, we identify and monetize externalities related to carbon dioxide emissions, air pollution, and waste. We find that total environmental losses range from €1.1 million for the offshore turbine with concrete foundation to €740,000 for onshore turbines and about €500,000 for an offshore turbine with steel foundation—equivalent to almost one‐fifth of construction cost in some instances. We conclude that carbon dioxide emissions dominate the amount of environmental damages and that turbines need to work for 2.5 to 5.5 years to payback their carbon debts. Even though turbines are installed in Europe, China and South Korea accounted for about 80% of damages across each type of turbine. Lastly, two components, foundations and towers, account for about 90% of all damages. We conclude with six implications for wind energy analysts, suppliers, manufacturers, and planners. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fatigue distribution optimization for offshore wind farms using intelligent agent control

A novel control approach is proposed to optimize the fatigue distribution of wind turbines in a large‐scale offshore wind farm on the basis of an intelligent agent theory. In this approach, each wind turbine is considered to be an intelligent agent. The turbine at the farm boundary communicates with its neighbouring downwind turbines and organizes them adaptively into a wind delivery group along the wind direction. The agent attributes and the event structure are designed on the basis of the intelligent agent theory by using the unified modelling language. The control strategy of the intelligent agent is studied using topology models. The reference power of an individual wind turbine from the wind farm controller is re‐dispatched to balance the turbine fatigue in the power dispatch intervals. In the fatigue optimization, the goal function is to minimize the standard deviation of the fatigue coefficient for every wind turbine. The optimization is constrained such that the average fatigue for every turbine is smaller than what would be achieved by conventional dispatch and such that the total power loss of the wind farm is restricted to a few percent of the total power. This intelligent agent control approach is verified through the simulation of wind data from the Horns Rev offshore wind farm. The results illustrate that intelligent agent control is a feasible way to optimize fatigue distribution in wind farms, which may reduce the maintenance frequency and extend the service life of large‐scale wind farms. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large eddy simulation of dynamically controlled wind turbines in an offshore environment

Accurate modelling of transient wind turbine wakes is an important component in the siting of turbines within wind farms because of wake structures that affect downwind turbine performance and loading. Many current industry tools for modelling these effects are limited to empirically derived predictions. A technique is described for coupling transient wind modelling with an aero‐elastic simulation to dynamically model both turbine operation and wake structures. The important feature of this approach is a turbine model in a flow simulation, which actively responds to transient wind events through the inclusion of controller actions such as blade pitching and regulation of generator torque. The coupled nature of the aero‐elastic/flow simulation also allows recording of load and control data, which permits the analysis of turbine interaction in multiple turbine systems. An aero‐elastic turbine simulation code and a large eddy simulation (LES) solver using an actuator disc model were adapted for this work. Coupling of the codes was implemented with the use of a software framework to transfer data between simulations in a synchronous manner. A computationally efficient simulation was developed with the ability to model turbines exhibiting standard baseline control operating in an offshore environment. Single and multiple wind turbine instances were modelled in a transient flow domain to investigate wake structures and wake interaction effects. Blade loading data were analysed to quantify the increased fluctuating loads on downwind turbines. The results demonstrate the successful implementation of the coupled simulation and quantify the effect of the dynamic‐turbine model. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling and control of variable‐speed multi‐pole permanent magnet synchronous generator wind turbine

Emphasis of this article is on variable‐speed pitch‐controlled wind turbines with multi‐pole permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) and on their extremely soft drive‐train shafts. A model and a control strategy for a full back‐to‐back converter wind turbine with multi‐pole PMSG are described. The model comprises submodels of the aerodynamic rotor, the drive‐train by a two‐mass model, the permanent magnet generator and the full‐scale converter system. The control strategy, which embraces both the wind turbine control itself and the control of the full‐scale converter, has tasks to control independently the active and reactive powers, to assist the power system and to ensure a stable normal operation of the wind turbine itself. A multi‐pole PMSG connected to the grid through a full‐scale converter has no inherent damping, and therefore, such configuration can become practically unstable, if no damping by means of external measures is applied. In this work, the frequency converter is designed to damp actively the drive‐train oscillations, thus ensuring stable operation. The dynamic performance of the presented model and control strategy is assessed and emphasized in normal operation conditions by means of simulations in the power system simulation tool DIgSILENT. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of different wind fields for the investigation of the dynamic response of offshore wind turbines

As the size of offshore wind turbines increases, a realistic representation of the spatiotemporal distribution of the incident wind field becomes crucial for modeling the dynamic response of the turbine. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard for wind turbine design recommends two turbulence models for simulations of the incident wind field, the Mann spectral tensor model, and the Kaimal spectral and exponential coherence model. In particular, for floating wind turbines, these standard models are challenged by more sophisticated ones. The characteristics of the wind field depend on the stability conditions of the atmosphere, which neither of the standard turbulence models account for. The spatial and temporal distribution of the turbulence, represented by coherence, is not modeled consistently by the two standard models. In this study, the Mann spectral tensor model and the Kaimal spectral and exponential coherence model are compared with wind fields constructed from offshore measurements and obtained from large‐eddy simulations. Cross sections and durations relevant for offshore wind turbine design are considered. Coherent structures from the different simulators are studied across various stability conditions and wind speeds through coherence and proper orthogonal decomposition mode plots. As expected, the standard models represent neutral stratification better than they do stable and unstable. Depending upon the method used for generating the wind field, significant differences in the spatial and temporal distribution of coherence are found. Consequently, the computed structural design loads on a wind turbine are expected to vary significantly depending upon the employed turbulence model. The knowledge gained in this study will be used in future studies to quantify the effect of various turbulence models on the dynamic response of large offshore wind turbines.     

Modelling and control of variable speed wind turbines for power system studies

Modern wind turbines are predominantly variable speed wind turbines with power electronic interface. Emphasis in this paper is therefore on the modelling and control issues of these wind turbine concepts and especially on their impact on the power system. The models and control are developed and implemented in the power system simulation tool DIgSILENT. Important issues like the fault ride‐through and grid support capabilities of these wind turbine concepts are addressed. The paper reveals that advanced control of variable speed wind turbines can improve power system stability. Finally, it will be shown in the paper that wind parks consisting of variable speed wind turbines can help nearby connected fixed speed wind turbines to ride‐through grid faults. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于风电机组状态的超短期海上风电功率预测

提出一种基于风电机组状态的超短期海上风电功率预测模型。首先,综合考虑海上环境因素以及风电机组部件间的相互作用建立指标的预测模型,以长短期记忆神经网络的预测误差作为监测指标的动态劣化度;然后采用模糊综合评价法对风电机组的运行状态进行评估,依据评估结果对风电机组历史运行数据进行划分;最后根据分类后历史运行数据建立基于机组状态的超短期风电功率预测模型。结合国内某海上风电场实例数据进行分析,算例结果表明所提方法可有效提高风电功率预测精度。     

Design and model confirmation of the intermediate scale VolturnUS floating wind turbine subjected to its extreme design conditions offshore Maine

Floating offshore wind turbines are gaining considerable interest in the renewable energy sector. Design standards for floating offshore wind turbines such as the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations are relatively new and few if any floating wind turbines have yet experienced the prescribed design extreme environmental conditions. Only a few pilot floating turbines have been deployed in Europe and Japan. These turbines have been designed for long return period storm events and are not likely to see their extreme design conditions during early deployment periods because of the low probability of occurrence. This paper presents data collected for an intermediate scale floating semi‐submersible turbine intentionally placed offshore Maine in a carefully selected site that subjects the prototype to scale extreme conditions on a frequent basis. This prototype, called VolturnUS 1:8, was the first grid‐connected offshore wind turbine in the Americas, and is a 1:8 scale model of a 6 MW prototype. The test site produces with a high probability 1:8 scale wave environments, and a commercial turbine has been selected so that the wind environment/rotor combination produces 1:8‐scale aerodynamic loads appropriate for the site wave environment. In the winter of 2013–2014, this prototype has seen the equivalent of 50 year to 500 year return period storms exercising it to the limits prescribed by design standards, offering a unique look at the behavior of a floating turbine subjected to extreme design conditions. Performance data are provided and compared to full‐scale predicted values from numerical models. There are two objectives in presenting this data and associated analysis: (i) validate numerical aeroelastic hydrodynamic coupled models and (ii) investigate the performance of a near full‐scale floating wind turbine in a real offshore environment that closely matches the prescribed design conditions from the ABS Guide. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic evaluation of offshore wind turbine by geotechnical centrifuge test

As offshore wind turbines are now planned to be installed at seismic activity areas around Asia in large numbers, understanding of the seismic behavior of offshore wind turbine has become essential to evade structural hazards due to earthquake. Although the seismic behavior of the structure is largely affected by soil‐foundation‐structure interaction (SFSI), there is only a few experimental data about this subject as conventional offshore wind turbines are mostly located in the area where earthquakes are scarce. Geotechnical centrifuge experiment can provide reliable experimental data for this subject as it can reproduce field stress condition of the soil and simulate earthquake motion in a scaled model test. In this research, three case studies using centrifuge model test were performed to evaluate the seismic behavior of offshore wind turbine during the earthquake and permanent deformation after the earthquake. The results were compared with conventional seismic evaluation methods. Monopile, Monopod, and Tripod foundations were chosen for the experiment. Peak acceleration and rotational displacement of the wind turbine for three cases were evaluated under various intensities of seismic loading applied by centrifuge‐mounted shaking table. Results were compared with conventional evaluation method for design acceleration and conventional rotational displacement criteria suggested in DNV‐OS‐J101.     

风力机大型化发展中的总体设计技术

简单介绍当前风能利用的发展,分析风电技术发展的趋势和主要特点;主要讨论风机大型化、柔性化等趋势引起的大型风机总体设计所面临的主要问题,总体设计技术是涉及气动、气动弹性、结构设计等多个学科、多方面的综合性问题,直接决定着大型柔性风机的性能、可靠性和寿命。本文主要分析了攻克总体设计难题所必需优先解决的风力机气动弹性载荷计算、气动弹性稳定性等问题。同时简要阐述了发展海上风机需要优先解决的相关技术问题,指出海上大型风力机分析首先需要着重考虑风—波联合作用下的机组气弹分析问题和考虑到近海风力机桩基特性的波浪载荷问题。     

Effect of platform disturbance on the performance of offshore wind turbine under pitch control

The aerodynamic performance of offshore floating wind turbines (OFWTs) is more complicated than onshore wind turbines due to 6‐degree of freedom (DOF) motion of the floating platform. In the current study, the aerodynamic analysis of a horizontal‐axis floating offshore wind turbine is performed with the aim of studying the effects of floating platform movement on the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine in the presence of a pitch angle control system. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5‐MW offshore wind turbine is selected as the baseline wind turbine. For this sake, the unsteady blade element momentum method with dynamic stall and dynamic inflow models have been employed to obtain the unsteady aerodynamic loads. The baseline pitch angle control system is assumed to be coupled with the aerodynamic model to maintain the rated condition of the wind turbine and also to approach a closer model of wind turbine. In case of pitching motion input, the reduction of mean power coefficient for tip speed ratios (TSRs) less that 7 is expected by an amount of 16% to 20% at pitch amplitude of 2° and frequency of 0.1 Hz. For high TSRs, the trend is reverse with respect to fixed‐platform case. The mean thrust coefficient is reduced for almost all range of TSRs with maximum loss of 37%. Moreover, the mean control pitch angle that is an index of control system effort is increased. The results also represent the importance of considering the pitch control system for aerodynamic analysis of disturbed OFWT.     

Site‐specific Design Optimization of Wind Turbines

This article reports results from a European project, where site characteristics were incorporated into the design process of wind turbines, to enable site‐specific design. Two wind turbines of different concept were investigated at six different sites comprising normal flat terrain, offshore and complex terrain wind farms. Design tools based on numerical optimization and aeroelastic calculations were combined with a cost model to allow optimization for minimum cost of energy. Different scenarios were optimized ranging from modifications of selected individual components to the complete design of a new wind turbine. Both annual energy yield and design‐determining loads depended on site characteristics, and this represented a potential for site‐specific design. The maximum variation in annual energy yield was 37% and the maximum variation in blade root fatigue loads was 62%. Optimized site‐specific designs showed reductions in cost of energy by up to 15% achieved from an increase in annual energy yield and a reduction in manufacturing costs. The greatest benefits were found at sites with low mean wind speed and low turbulence. Site‐specific design was not able to offset the intrinsic economic advantage of high‐wind‐speed sites. It was not possible to design a single wind turbine for all wind climates investigated, since the differences in the design loads were too large. Multiple‐site wind turbines should be designed for generic wind conditions, which cover wind parameters encountered at flat terrain sites with a high mean wind speed. Site‐specific wind turbines should be designed for low‐mean‐wind‐speed sites and complex terrain. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The dynamics of an offshore wind turbine in parked conditions: a comparison between simulations and measurements

Offshore wind turbines are complex structures, and their dynamics can vary significantly because of changes in operating conditions, e.g., rotor‐speed, pitch angle or changes in the ambient conditions, e.g., wind speed, wave height or wave period. Especially in parked conditions, with reduced aerodynamic damping forces, the response due to wave actions with wave frequencies close to the first structural resonance frequencies can be high. Therefore, this paper will present numerical simulations using the HAWC2 code to study an offshore wind turbine in parked conditions. The model has been created according to best practice and current standards based on the design of an existing Vestas V90 offshore wind turbine on a monopile foundation in the Belgian North Sea. The damping value of the model's first fore‐aft mode has been tuned on the basis of measurements obtained from a long‐term ambient monitoring campaign on the same wind turbine. Using the updated model of the offshore wind turbine, the paper will present some of the effects of the different design parameters and the different ambient conditions on the dynamics of an offshore wind turbine. The results from the simulations will be compared with the processed data obtained from the real measurements. The accuracy of the model will be discussed in terms of resonance frequencies, mode shapes, damping value and acceleration levels, and the limitations of the simulations in modeling of an offshore wind turbine will be addressed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modelling and ride‐through capability of variable speed wind turbines with permanent magnet generators

A model for a variable speed wind turbine with a permanent magnet, multipole, synchronous generator is developed and implemented in the simulation tool PSS/E as a user‐written model. The model contains representations of the permanent magnet generator, the frequency converter system with control, the aerodynamic rotor and a lumped mass representation of the shaft system. This model complexity is needed for investigations of the short‐term voltage stability and ride‐through capability of such wind turbines. Ride‐through capability is a major issue and, for the given concept, can be achieved by applying blocking and restart sequences to the frequency converter at the voltage drop in the power grid. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

某近海风电场风机基础选型设计

目的  自2022年起,海上风电的国家补贴将全面退出。海上风电机组基础是风电机组的支撑结构,对海上风电场的安全运行起着至关重要的作用。在平价上网、“30·60”双碳目标和国家“十四五”能源规划等政策的指导下,合理地选择、设计海上风电机组基础,是海上风电场降本增效的有效手段。 方法  文章以某近海风电场风机基础选型设计为例,综合国内海上风电场的建设经验,进行基础型式比选;首先选择单桩基础、导管架基础和高桩承台基础3种基础型式进行初选,然后结合该近海风电场的海洋水文和地质条件,分析不同风机基础型式的适用水深及优缺点,从结构安全性、施工可行性、工期及工程经济性等方面进行了综合比选。 结果  研究表明：风机基础型式的选择与水深、土层地质条件、风电机组固有频率、施工安装设备能力、施工工期、工程造价等几个因素有关。单桩基础结构型式优良、施工可行、工期最短、经济性最优,优势明显。 结论  推荐该近海风电场风机基础采用单桩基础方案。     

Characterization of the unsteady aerodynamics of offshore floating wind turbines

Large‐scale offshore floating wind turbines were first proposed in 1972 by Prof. William E. Heronemus at the University of Massachusetts. Since then, very little progress has been made in the deployment of these systems despite the significant advantages afforded by floating wind turbines, namely access to superior wind resources and increased placement flexibility. Aside from the large capital costs associated with construction, one of the most significant challenges facing offshore floating wind turbines is a limited simulation and load estimation capability. Many wind turbine aerodynamic analysis methods rely on assumptions that may not be applicable to the highly dynamic environment in which floating wind turbines are expected to operate. This study characterizes the unique operating conditions that make aerodynamic analysis of offshore floating wind turbines a challenge. Conditions that may result in unsteady flow are identified, and a method to identify aerodynamically relevant platform modes is presented. Operating conditions that may result in a breakdown of the momentum balance equations are also identified for different platform configurations. It is shown that offshore floating wind turbines are subjected to significant aerodynamic unsteadiness fixed‐bottom offshore turbines. Aerodynamic analysis of offshore floating wind turbines may require the use of higher‐fidelity ‘engineering‐level’ models than commonly in use today. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.