Wave‐current interaction effects on structural responses of floating offshore wind turbines

This paper proposes a model considering the wave‐current interactions in dynamic analyses of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) and investigates the interaction effects on the FOWT responses. Waves when traveling on current are affected by the current, leading to frequency shift and shape modification. To include such interactions in FOWT analysis, which has not been considered by the researchers till date, a nonlinear hydrodynamic model for multicable mooring systems is presented that is able to consider the cable geometric nonlinearity, seabed contact, and the current effect. The mooring model is then coupled with a spar‐type FOWT model that handles the structural dynamics of turbine blades and tower, aerodynamics of the wind‐blade interaction, and wave‐current effects on the spar. The analytical wave‐current interaction model based on Airy theory considering the current effect is used in the computation of flow velocity and acceleration. Numerical studies are then carried out based on the NREL offshore 5‐MW baseline wind turbine supported on top of the OC3‐Hywind spar buoy. Two cases, (1) when the currents are favorable and (2) when the currents are adverse, are examined. Differences of up to 15% have been observed by comparing the cable fairlead tension obtained excluding and including the wave‐current interactions. In particular, when irregular waves interact with adverse current, a simple superposition treatment of the wave and the current effects seems to underestimate the spar motion and the cable fairlead tension. This indicates that the wave‐current interaction is an important aspect and is needed to be considered in FOWT analysis.     

Load response of a two-rotor floating wind turbine undergoing blade-pitch system faults

Multi-rotor floating wind turbines are among the innovative technologies proposed in the last decade in the effort to reduce the cost of wind energy. These systems are able to offer advantages in terms of smaller blades deployed offshore, cheaper operations, fewer installations, and sharing of the floating platform. As the blade-pitch actuation system is prone to failures, the assessment of the associated load scenarios is commonly required. Load assessment of blade-pitch fault scenarios has only been performed for single-rotor solutions. In this work, we address the effect of blade-pitch system faults and emergency shutdown on the dynamics and loads of a two-rotor floating wind turbine. The concept considered employs two NREL 5-MW baseline wind turbines and the OO-Star semi-submersible platform. The blade-pitch faults investigated are blade blockage and runaway, that is, the seizure at a given pitch angle and the uncontrolled actuation of one of the blades, respectively. Blade-pitch faults lead to a significant increase in the structural loads of the system, especially for runaway fault conditions. Emergency shutdown significantly excites the platform pitch motion, the tower-bottom bending moment, and tower torsional loads, while suppressing the faulty blade flapwise bending moment after a short peak. Shutdown delay between rotors increases significantly the maxima of the torsional loads acting on the tower. Comparison of blade loads with data from single-rotor spar-type study show great similarity, highlighting that the faulty blade loads are not affected by (1) the type of platform used and (2) the multi-rotor deployment.     

漂浮式风力机平台结构设计与模态分析

风力机发展趋势使深海漂浮式风力机有着广阔发展前景.分析了漂浮式多浮柱平台的稳定机理,根据美国可再生能源实验室5 MW风力机模型,提出了平面对称结构浮柱平台设计思路,同时初步建立了深海多浮柱平台三维有限元模型.结合机械振动理论,采用有限元计算软件对三浮柱、四浮柱以及六浮柱平台模型进行模态分析,为进一步开展漂浮式平台的优化设计提供了一定参考依据.     

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.     

Impact of aerodynamic modeling on seakeeping performance of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine

Over the last decade, several coupled simulation tools have been developed in order to design and optimize floating wind turbines (FWTs). In most of these tools, the aerodynamic modeling is based on quasi‐steady aerodynamic models such as the blade element momentum (BEM). It may not be accurate enough for FWTs as the motion of the platform induces highly unsteady phenomena around the rotor. To address this issue, a new design tool has been developed coupling a seakeeping solver with an unsteady aerodynamic solver based on the free vortex wake (FVW) theory. This tool is here compared with the reference code FAST, which is based on the BEM theory in order to characterize the impact of the aerodynamic model on the seakeeping of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). Aerodynamic solvers are compared for the case of the free floating NREL 5MW HAWT supported by the OC3Hywind SPAR. Differences obtained between the models have been analyzed through a study of the aerodynamic loads acting on the same turbine in imposed harmonic surge and pitch motions. This provides a better understanding of the intrinsic differences between the quasi‐steady and unsteady aerodynamic solvers. The study shows that differences can be observed between the three aerodynamic solvers, especially at high tip speed ratio (TSR) for which unsteady aerodynamic phenomena and complex wake dynamics occur. Observed discrepancies in the predictions of the FWT dynamic response can raise issues when designing such a system with a state‐of‐the‐art design tool.     

Impact of aerodynamic modelling on seakeeping performance of a floating vertical axis wind turbine

This study focuses on the impact of the aerodynamic model on the dynamic response of a floating vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). It compares a state‐of‐the‐art quasi‐steady double multiple streamtube (DMS) solver, a prescribed vortex wake (PVW), and a free vortex wake (FVW) solver. The aerodynamic loads acting on a bottom‐fixed VAWT and computed with the three aerodynamic solvers are compared, then the dynamic responses of the floating turbine in irregular waves and turbulent wind with the different aerodynamic solvers are compared. Differences are observed, particularly in the mean motions of the platform. Eventually, the aerodynamic damping computed by the solvers are estimated with aerodynamic simulations on the turbine with imposed surge and pitch motions. The estimated damping can then be correlated with the dynamic response amplitude of the VAWT. Substantial discrepancies are observed between the three solvers at high tip speed ratio, when the rotor is highly loaded. It is shown that the quasi‐steady DMS solver seems to give greater amplitude of motions for the floating VAWT because of strong rotor/wake interaction that are not correctly accounted for.     

新型螺旋扰流片漂浮式风力机半潜平台动态响应研究

为改善半潜式平台漂浮式风力机动态响应,提出将扰流片螺旋布置于半潜式平台浮筒下部的结构设计方法,将附加螺旋扰流片的半潜平台漂浮式风力机与原平台进行对比,并研究扰流片布置螺距对平台性能的影响。结果表明：频域分析中扰流片能够显著降低平台所受横摇波浪激励力矩,对平台垂荡、横摇、纵摇辐射阻尼及附加质量均有一定提升,平台频域幅值响应算子(RAO)峰值明显降低;安装扰流片后,平台固有周期增加,抗共振性能更好;时域分析中,在垂荡、纵摇方向上扰流片布置螺距对平台运动响应影响较小,对横摇运动响应抑制明显,其中0.29D(D为半潜式平台浮筒半径)扰流片平台性能较佳。     

An analytical frequency-domain model of aerodynamic mass and damping of floating wind turbines

The fore-aft motion of the rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) of a rotating floating wind turbine (FWT) can cause an oscillation in aerodynamic thrust, which may be equivalently treated as frequency-dependent aerodynamic mass and damping effects. In this study, an explicit frequency-domain analytical model is proposed to calculate the equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping of FWTs, with proper linearization of control system. Assuming that an FWT operates under steady wind conditions and a forced oscillation is exerted at the RNA along the wind direction, the thrust fluctuations are equivalently represented by the force and moment acting on the nacelle instead of pure aerodynamic loads. Based on the thrust oscillation expression, equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping are derived analytically. After verifying the model by numerical comparison, it is used to demonstrate equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping of three wind turbines (5–15 MW). Effects of wind turbine up-scaling and controller dynamics are addressed. Results show that equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping present a nonlinear characteristic with oscillation frequency in the below-rated region, while the relationship is close to linear for higher wind speeds. The effect of wind turbine up-scaling has a visible impact on equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping, especially at near-rated wind speed. Controller gains affect equivalent aerodynamic mass and damping and should be tuned reasonably in the controller design for FWTs. Outcomes of our study can be used to establish a frequency-domain coupled model of FWTs and are beneficial for conceptual design and parameter optimization of the platform of FWTs.     

Numerical analysis of a tethered-buoy mooring system for a prototype floating wind farm

Conventional mooring systems contribute significantly to the cost of floating wind projects, and innovative solutions with cost-saving potentials are desired. In the present paper, we investigate the fundamental dynamic behavior of an innovative tethered-buoy mooring system for a prototype wind farm in which two spar floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are moored to five submerged tethered buoys. Numerical decay tests are used to characterize the fundamental frequencies and oscillatory modes of the system. The influence of net buoyancy is established through a parametric study. Finally, the dynamic response of the tethered-buoy mooring system is compared against two alternative shared mooring configurations with catenary mooring lines. Time-domain simulations are carried out for one accidental scenario with a parked and an operational FOWT, and one extreme scenario with two parked FOWTs. The results show that net buoyancy has a significant influence on platform motions and mooring loads. Compared to alternative configurations with catenary mooring lines, the tethered-buoy mooring system exhibits substantially lower mooring tension loads and practically eliminates the threat of snap events. The reduction in the maximum characteristic fairlead tension is up to 85%. The mean positional offset of the wind turbines in the loading direction is larger, up to 36% of the water depth, however, the relative motions are comparable. The mean distance between the FOWTs is even smaller for the tethered-buoy system. With the application of dynamic inter-array cables, the proposed tethered-buoy system can be a promising mooring solution for floating offshore wind farms.     

两种常用漂浮式风力机平台动态特性分析

分别针对MIT/NREL TLP和Umaine-Hywind Spar两种海上风力机浮式平台主体的水动力特性进行研究,旨在分析两者的系泊稳定性.基于海洋水动力学和结构动力学理论,建立了平台/缆索系统耦合模型,在水深和外界载荷激励相同的情况下,利用有限元分析ANSYS软件中的水动力学计算模块进行时域、频域响应分析,研究了两种平台在海风、海流和随机波联合作用下的动态响应,并分析了两种平台随波浪频率的响应变化.结果表明:MIT/NREL TLP平台的动态响应较大,而Umaine-Hywind Spar平台动态响应较小;两平台均在低频波浪作用下产生响应峰值.     

Levelised cost of energy for offshore floating wind turbines in a life cycle perspective

This report presents a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) for the following offshore floating wind turbine concepts: Spar-Buoy (Hywind II), Tension-Leg-Spar (SWAY), Semi-Submersible (WindFloat), Tension-Leg-Wind-Turbine (TLWT) and Tension-Leg-Buoy (TLB). The analysis features a generic commercial wind farm consisting of 100 five megawatt turbines, at a far offshore site in a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) perspective. Data for existing bottom-fixed turbines, both jacket and monopile concepts are used as reference values for adaptation to the generic wind farm parameters. The results indicate that LCOE values are strongly dependent on depth and distance from shore, due to mooring costs and export cable length, respectively. Based on the findings, depth is the dominant parameter to determine the optimal concept for a site. Distance to shore, Load Factor and availability are amongst the significant factors affecting the LCOE. The findings also indicate that LCOE of floating turbines applied in large scale and in intermediate depths of 50–150 m is comparable to bottom-fixed turbines. Floating turbines for increasing depths generally experience increased LCOE at a lower rate than bottom-fixed turbines. An optimal site, situated 100 km offshore would give LCOE in the range of € 82.0–€ 236.7 per megawatt-hour for the conceptual designs in this paper.     

Evaluation of PMSG‐based drivetrain technologies for 10‐MW floating offshore wind turbines: Pros and cons in a life cycle perspective

This paper presents an in depth evaluation and comparison of three different drivetrain choices based on permanent‐magnet synchronous generator (PMSG) technology for 10‐MW offshore wind turbines. The life cycle approach is suggested to evaluate the performance of the different under consideration drivetrain topologies. Furthermore, the design of the drivetrain is studied through optimized designs for the generator and gearbox. The proposed drivetrain analytical optimization approach supported by numerical simulations shows that application of gearbox in 10‐MW offshore wind turbines can help to reduce weight, raw material cost, and size and simultaneously improve the efficiency. The possibility of resonance with the first torsional natural frequency of drivetrain for the different designed drivetrain systems, the influence of gear ratio, and the feasibility of the application for a spar floating platform are also discussed. This study gives evidence on how gearbox can mitigate the torque oscillation consequences on the other components and how the latter can influence the reliability of drivetrain.     

Platform stabilization and load reduction of floating offshore wind turbines with tension‐leg platform using dynamic vibration absorbers

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) are subject to significant increases in structural loads due to the platform motion under turbulent wind and wave. The under‐actuation challenge in FOWT control demands for development of extra actuators for platform stabilization. For FOWT with tension‐leg platform (TLP), this paper presents a comprehensive study on design and control simulation for realizing active mooring line control via the deployment of vertically operated dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) at the spokes of TLP structure. The DVA is designed based on the suppression of the primary modes of platform pitch and roll motion. In addition to the enhancement of FAST‐based simulation module, an 11 degrees‐of‐freedom (DOFs) control‐oriented model is derived for the TLP‐FOWT‐DVA system. Based on the control‐oriented model, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller is designed. Simulations are performed for 9 m/s and 18 m/s turbulent winds with different wind and wave directions. The wind turbine performance, platform motions, and structural fatigue loads are evaluated. The results show that the platform motion and tower loads in the lateral direction are significantly reduced, while the tower load in the fore‐aft direction can be moderately reduced. Also, significant reduction in the mooring line tension loads is observed. For achieving the performance in platform motion stabilization and load reduction, the average power consumption of the DVA actuators is less than 0.27% of the wind turbine power generated during the simulated periods. The figures of merits promise significant potential for the feasibility of DVA based control for TLP‐FOWT.     

A comparative study on dynamic responses of spar‐type floating horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines

Interest in the exploitation of offshore wind resources using floating wind turbines has increased. Commercial development of floating horizontal axis wind turbines (FHAWTs) is emerging because of their commercial success in onshore and near‐shore areas. Floating vertical axis wind turbines (FVAWTs) are also promising because of their low installation and maintenance costs. Therefore, a comparative study on the dynamic responses of FHAWTs and FVAWTs is of great interest. In the present study, a FHAWT employing the 5MW wind turbine developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a FVAWT employing a Darrieus rotor, both mounted on the OC3 spar buoy, were considered. An improved control strategy was introduced for FVAWTs to achieve an approximately constant mean generator power for the above rated wind speeds. Fully coupled time domain simulations were carried out using identical, directional aligned and correlated wind and wave conditions. Because of different aerodynamic load characteristics and control strategies, the FVAWT results in larger mean tower base bending moments and mooring line tensions above the rated wind speed. Because significant two‐per‐revolution aerodynamic loads act on the FVAWT, the generator power, tower base bending moments and delta line tensions show prominent two‐per‐revolution variation. Consequently, the FVAWT suffers from severe fatigue damage at the tower bottom. However, the dynamic performance of the FVAWT could be improved by increasing the number of blades, using helical blades or employing a more advanced control strategy, which requires additional research. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Stochastic dynamic response analysis of a floating vertical‐axis wind turbine with a semi‐submersible floater

Floating vertical‐axis wind turbines (FVAWTs) provide the potential for utilizing offshore wind resources in moderate and deep water because of their economical installation and maintenance. Therefore, it is important to assess the performance of the FVAWT concept. This paper presents a stochastic dynamic response analysis of a 5 MW FVAWT based on fully coupled nonlinear time domain simulations. The studied FVAWT, which is composed of a Darrieus rotor and a semi‐submersible floater, is subjected to various wind and wave conditions. The global motion, structural response and mooring line tension of the FVAWT are calculated using time domain simulations and studied based on statistical analysis and frequency‐domain analysis. The response of the FVAWT is compared under steady and turbulent wind conditions to investigate the effects of turbulent wind. The advantage of the FVAWT in reducing the 2P effect on the response is demonstrated by comparing the floating wind turbine with the equivalent land‐based wind turbine. Additionally, by comparing the behaviour of FVAWTs with flexible and rigid rotors, the effect of rotor flexibility is evaluated. Furthermore, the FVAWT is also investigated in the parked condition. The global motions and structural responses as a function of the azimuthal angle are studied. Finally, the dynamic response of the FVAWT in selected misaligned wind and wave conditions is analysed to determine the effects of wind‐wave misalignment on the dynamic response. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental validation of model‐based blade pitch controller design for floating wind turbines: system identification approach

This paper discusses the model‐based design of a blade pitch controller for a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) scale model. A mathematical model of the FOWT is constructed from an input–output measurement in an experiment using system identification. The blade pitch controller is designed by an control method, and the effectiveness of the controller is evaluated by means of a basin experiment using the FOWT scale model. The results show that the blade pitch controller is effective in reducing platform pitch motion and rotor speed fluctuation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Stochastic dynamic response analysis of a tension leg spar‐type offshore wind turbine

This paper presents a stochastic dynamic response analysis of a tension leg spar‐type wind turbine subjected to wind and wave actions. The dynamic motions, structural responses, power production and tension leg responses are analyzed. The model is implemented using the HAWC2 code. Several issues such as negative damping, rotor configuration (upwind or downwind rotor) and tower shadow effects are discussed to study the power performance and structural integrity of the system. The operational and survival load cases considering the stochastic wave and wind loading are analyzed to investigate the functionality of the tension leg spar‐type wind turbine. Amelioration of the negative damping applied for this concept reduces the structural dynamic responses, which are important for fatigue life. It is found that the responses induced by wave and wind actions at the wave frequencies are not affected much by the aerodynamic excitation or damping forces. Because of the nonlinear effects of the tension leg, all of the motion responses are strongly coupled. The global responses of upwind and downwind versions of the turbine are found to be close because the tower shadow has a limited effect on the global responses. However, the structural dynamic responses of the blades are more affected by the tower shadow. In this study, the extrapolation methods are applied to efficiently estimate the maximum responses. The maximum response is found to occur in the survival cases as a result of the wave actions and the increased aerodynamic drag forces on the tower. The results show that the maximum responses corresponding to the up‐crossing rate of 0.0001 (corresponding to the maximum response within a 3 hour period) can be expressed by the mean plus 3 to 5 standard deviations. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Failure rate,repair time and unscheduled O&M cost analysis of offshore wind turbines

Determining and understanding offshore wind turbine failure rates and resource requirement for repair are vital for modelling and reducing O&M costs and in turn reducing the cost of energy. While few offshore failure rates have been published in the past even less details on resource requirement for repair exist in the public domain. Based on ~350 offshore wind turbines throughout Europe this paper provides failure rates for the overall wind turbine and its sub‐assemblies. It also provides failure rates by year of operation, cost category and failure modes for the components/sub‐assemblies that are the highest contributor to the overall failure rate. Repair times, average repair costs and average number of technicians required for repair are also detailed in this paper. An onshore to offshore failure rate comparison is carried out for generators and converters based on this analysis and an analysis carried out in a past publication. The results of this paper will contribute to offshore wind O&M cost and resource modelling and aid in better decision making for O&M planners and managers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.