Empirical design of scour protections around monopile foundations: Part 1: Static approach

Together with new opportunities, offshore wind farms raise new engineering challenges. An important aspect relates to the erosion of bottom material around the foundation of the wind turbines, caused by the local increase of the wave and current induced flow velocities by the pile's presence. Typically, the expected scour has a considerable impact on the stability and dynamic behavior of the wind turbine and a scour protection is placed to avoid erosion of the soil close to the foundation. Although much experience exists on the design of scour protections around bridge piers (which are placed in a current alone situation), at present, little design guidelines exist for the specific case of a scour protection around a monopile foundation subjected to a combined wave and current loading.     

A Crashworthy Device Against Ship-OWT Collision and Its Protection Effects on the Tower of Offshore Wind Farms

At present,more and more offshore wind farms have been built and numerous projects are on the drawing tables.Therefore,the study on the safety of collision between ships and offshore wind turbines (OWT) is of great practical significance.The present study takes the advantage of the famous LS-DYNA explicit code to simulate the dynamic process of the collision between a typical 3MW offshore wind turbine model with monopile foundation and a simplified 2000t-class ship model.In the simulation,the added mass eff...     

海上风力发电单立柱支撑结构拟静力分析

海上风电支撑结构不同于一般海洋结构物,它受到复杂的风机气动荷载、机械控制荷载和海洋环境荷载的多重作用。文章针对海上某单立柱风电支撑结构,通过分析其结构固有频率的约束限制以及外环境荷载的动力特性,综合考虑外环境荷载尤其是风机荷载的动力放大影响,给出海上单立柱风电支撑结构的拟静力分析思路。并进行极端及操作工况下支撑结构在风、浪、流环境荷载组合作用的应力计算和强度分析。提出该种结构在使用现有海洋结构物设计规范和风机设计规范时的注意事项。该分析比较结果及结论可作为海上类似风电支撑结构的设计参考。     

Analysis and Design of Monopile Foundations for Offshore Wind-Turbine Structures

Offshore wind turbines (OWTs) are generally supported by large-diameter monopiles, with the combination of axial forces, lateral forces, bending moments, and torsional moments generated by the OWT structure and various environmental factors resisted by earth pressures mobilized in the soil foundation. The lateral loading on the monopile foundation is essentially cyclic in nature and typically of low amplitude. This state-of-the-art review paper presents details on the geometric design, nominal size, and structural and environmental loading for existing and planned OWT structures supported by monopile foundations. Pertinent ocean-environment loading conditions, including methods of calculation using site-specific data, are described along with wave particle kinematics, focusing on correlations between the loading frequency and natural vibration frequency of the OWT structure. Existing methods for modeling soil under cyclic loading are reviewed, focusing in particular on strain accumulation models that consider pile–soil interaction under cyclic lateral loading. Inherent limitations/shortcomings of these models for the analysis and design of existing and planned OWT monopile foundations are discussed. A design example of an OWT support structure having a monopile foundation system is presented. Target areas for further research by the wind-energy sector, which would facilitate the development of improved analyses/design methods for offshore monopiles, are identified.     

海上风电楔形单桩基础竖向承载力特性分析

为提高基础利用率增加海上风电设施的可行性，对楔形单桩基础竖向承载力特性进行研究分析。采用PLAXIS 3D 有限元软件建立楔形单桩基础模型，从桩侧摩阻力、桩侧法应力及土体位移对比分析楔形单桩基础与等截面单桩竖向承载特性差异，并探讨内摩擦角、楔角及楔高对承载力的影响。研究表明：楔形单桩基础竖向承载力高于等截面单桩基础，且承载力随着楔角、楔高的增大而增大，提高率最大达24.786%。倾斜侧壁的引入改变了桩侧摩阻力的传递规律；倾斜侧壁挤密桩周土体，桩侧摩阻力与法向应力增大，从而有效提高单桩基础的竖向承载力。研究成果可为今后海上风电单桩基础截面型式的设计提供参考。     

Drainage conditions around monopiles in sand

Large diameter monopiles are typical foundation solutions for offshore wind turbines. In design of the monopile foundations in sand, it is necessary to understand the drainage conditions of the foundation soil under the design loading conditions as the soil performance (strength and stiffness) is highly dependent on the drainage conditions. This paper presents a numerical investigation into this issue, with a purpose to develop a simple design criterion for assessing the soil drainage conditions around a monopile in sand. It is found that for typical monopile foundations in sand, the drainage condition during a single load cycle is generally expected to be undrained. However, the current state-of-practice uses p-y springs derived for drained soil responses for monopile design. The impact of this discrepancy on monopile foundation design was evaluated and found to be insignificant due to the relatively low level of loading as compared to the capacity of the soil.     

波浪荷载及土体特性对风电单桩基础水平变形影响规律

大直径单桩基础是海上风电应用广泛的一种基础形式,严格控制桩基泥面处的位移是保证基础稳定和风机安全运营的关键因素.通过数值方法建立了单桩—海床的三维模型,将可以描述海洋砂土超固结性和结构性的弹塑性本构模型通过UMAT子程序嵌入有限元软件ABAQUS中,桩基承受的波浪荷载通过Morison方程进行计算模拟.针对无波浪荷载、仅作用于海床的波浪荷载、同时作用于桩基和海床的波浪荷载三种情况,分析了海床土的动力响应以及桩基的水平位移之间的差异,探讨了海床土体参数对桩基水平变形的影响.研究结果表明海床土体液化会导致桩基水平变形增加,海床土渗透性、超固结性、结构性对桩基水平位移影响显著,研究成果可为海上风电单桩基础的设计与运维提供参考.     

基于非定常面元法的海上浮式风机气动性能研究

对于海上浮式风机而言,由于受到剪切风、塔影效应、浮式基础运动等因素的共同影响,其气动载荷会更加复杂,因此如何准确快速地对海上风力机的气动性能进行预估显得尤为重要。基于速度势的非定常面元法理论,研究海上浮式风机气动载荷特性,编制了相关的计算程序。以NREL 5 MW风机为例,建立了叶片和尾流的三维数值模型,计算得到了不同风速下风机的输出功率以及叶片表面的压力分布,对比数据结果分析了该方法的可靠性。针对非定常流动,模拟了剪切风和塔影效应的作用,并重点分析了浮式基础运动对风机气动载荷的影响。研究表明,浮式基础的纵荡和纵摇会增加输出功率的波动幅值,艏摇运动会导致单个叶片上的气动载荷产生较大的波动,为浮式风机叶片控制提供了参考。     

A simplified calculation method for axial cyclic degradation of offshore wind turbine foundations in clay

Abstract

Pile foundation is the most popular option for the foundation of offshore wind turbines. The degradation of stiffness and bearing capacity of pile foundation induced by cyclic loading will be harmful for structure safety. In this article, a modified undrained elastic–plastic model considering the cyclic degradation of clay soil is proposed, and a simplified calculation method (SCM) based on shear displacement method is presented to calculate the axial degradated capacity of a single pile foundation for offshore wind turbines resisting cyclic loadings. The conception of plastic zone thickness R_p is introduced to obtain the function between accumulated plastic strain and displacement of soil around pile side. The axial ultimate capacity of single piles under axial cyclic loading calculated by this simplified analysis have a good consistency with the results from the finite element analysis, which verifies the accuracy and reliability of this method. As an instance, the behavior of pile foundation of an offshore wind farm under cyclic load is studied using the proposed numerical method and SCM. This simplified method may provide valuable reference for engineering design.     

Natural frequency of offshore wind turbines on rigid and flexible monopiles in cohesionless soils with linear stiffness distribution

A simplified method is introduced to obtain the fundamental frequency of offshore wind turbines supported by monopile foundations. Soil-pile interaction is modeled based on Winkler approach and concept of beam on elastic foundation. The soil is considered to have linearly varying modulus of subgrade reaction along depth which is a typical assumption for cohesionless soils. Rayleigh method which is based on conservation of total energy of the system is utilized. Firstly the natural frequency of the system with rigid pile is derived and then an innovative procedure is introduced to take pile flexural stiffness into consideration. Comparison between results of the present method with those of a numerical FE model for a typical 2 MW wind turbine structure shows excellent agreement for rigid pile and flexible pile with small value of slenderness ratio. The agreement is also good for flexible pile with higher slenderness ratios. A parametric study is carried out to investigate the effect of important parameters of foundation including pile slenderness ratio, pile aspect ratio and pile mass on the system natural frequency.     

海上风机吸力式桶形基础承载特性研究综述

风机基础作为海上风机整体结构的重要组成部分,承受着上部风机所受到的风浪流荷载,并且对风机的安全性及可靠性至关重要。吸力式桶形基础由于其安装简单和可重复利用等优点,在海洋平台基础中得到了广泛应用,并逐步应用于海上风机基础中。但由于海上风机与海洋平台在海洋环境中的荷载工况有一定的差别,仍需要通过对其承载特性研究现状进行全面认识,以实现吸力式桶形基础在海上风机基础中的可靠应用。文中通过总结和评价现有研究对桶形基础在不同土体条件以及荷载条件下进行试验及数值模拟分析得到的研究结果,综述了静荷载和循环荷载作用下砂土和黏土中的吸力式桶形基础的承载特性研究现状,以及海上风机吸力式桶形基础的相关研究。文章展望了目前应用于海上风机基础的桶形基础仍缺乏的研究,为海上风机吸力式桶形基础的可靠应用及后续研究提供重要参考。     

考虑流固耦合效应的单桩式海上风电机组结构响应模拟

针对海上风电整机系统,建立了一体化流固耦合分析方法。在模拟过程中,采用浸入边界法解决风机叶片旋转引起的静动干涉问题,利用改进的守恒式 level set（简称 ICLS）方法捕捉海浪自由面,并使用交错迭代法求解流固耦合方程。通过构建 “风机—塔架—基础”一体化流固耦合数值模拟方法,能够在一次仿真计算中实现海上风电整机系统的全过程数值模拟,准确求解多荷载耦合作用下“风机—塔架—基础”的整体结构动力响应。以某单桩式海上风电工程为例,验证了本方法能够实现对海上风电整体系统的一体化分析。     

Probabilistic analysis of offshore wind turbines under extreme resonant response: Application of environmental contour method

Offshore wind turbines can exhibit dynamic resonant behavior due to sea states with wave excitation frequencies coinciding with the structural eigenfrequencies. In addition to significant contributions to fatigue actions, dynamic load amplification can govern extreme wind turbine responses. However, current design requirements lack specifications for assessment of resonant loads, particularly during parked or idling conditions where aerodynamic damping contributions are significantly reduced. This study demonstrates a probabilistic approach for assessment of offshore wind turbines under extreme resonant responses during parked situations. Based on in-situ metocean observations on the North Sea, the environmental contour method is used to establish relevant design conditions. A case study on a feasible large monopile design showed that resonant loads can govern the design loads. The presented framework can be applied to assess the reliability of wave-sensitive offshore wind turbine structures for a given site-specific metocean conditions and support structure design.     

海上风电塔架基础的新型吸力锚研发

海上风电作为一种清洁能源,其开发利用越来越受到世界各沿海国家的重视.吸力锚基础是海洋工程中的一种新型基础型式,广泛应用于海洋平台、海洋浮动式结构等.近年来,也被作为海上风电工程塔架的基础,此海上风电塔架的基础部分是整个工程结构的重要组成部分,它涉及到整个风电结构的安全性,是工程可靠运行的前提.在深入研究已有塔架的基础上...     

Un- and reloading stiffness of monopile foundations in sand

The eigenfrequency of offshore wind turbine structures is a crucial design parameter, since it determines the dynamic behavior of the structure and with that the fatigue loads for the structural design. For offshore wind turbines founded on monopiles, the rotational stiffness of the monopile-soil system for un- and reloading states strongly affects the eigenfrequency. A numerical model for the calculation of the monopile’s behavior under un- and reloading is established and validated by back-calculation of model and field tests. With this model, a parametric study is conducted in which pile geometry, soil parameters and load conditions are varied. It is shown that of course the rotational stiffness varies with mean load and magnitude of the considered un- and reloading span, but that for most relevant load situations the initial rotational stiffness of the monopile system, i.e. the initial slope of the moment-rotation curve for monotonic loading, gives a good estimate of the actual stiffness. Comparisons of different p–y approaches show that the ordinary API approach considerably underestimates the initial stiffness, whereas the recently developed ‘Thieken’ approach and also the ‘Kallehave’ approach give a much better prediction and thus might be used in the design of monopiles in sand.     

Wave run-up on cylindrical and cone shaped foundations for offshore wind turbines

During the last decade, several offshore wind-farms were built and offshore wind energy promises to be a suitable alternative to provide green energy. However, there are still some engineering challenges in placing the foundations of offshore wind turbines. For example, wave run-up and wave impacts cause unexpected damage to boat landing facilities and platforms. To assess the forces due to wave run-up, the distribution of run-up around the pile and the maximum run-up height need to be known. This article describes a physical model study of the run-up heights and run-up distribution on two shapes of foundations for offshore wind turbines, including both regular and irregular waves. The influence of wave steepness, wave height and water depth on run-up is investigated. The measured run-up values are compared with applicable theories and previous experimental studies predicting run-up on a circular pile.     

Undrained Bearing Capacity of Suction Caissons for Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations by Numerical Limit Analysis

Determining the ultimate capacity of suction caissons in response to combined vertical, horizontal, and moment loading is essential for their design as foundations for offshore wind turbines. However, the method implemented for stability analysis is quite limited. Numerical limit analysis has an advantage over traditional limit equilibrium methods and nonlinear finite element methods in this case because upper and lower bounds can be achieved to ensure that the exact ultimate capacity of the caisson falls within the appropriate range. This article presents theories related to numerical limit analysis. Simulations are conducted for centrifuge model tests, the findings of which reveal the ability of numerical limit analysis to deal with the inclined pullout capacity of suction caissons. Finally, this article proposes an estimation of the ultimate capacity of a 3.5 MW offshore wind turbine foundation on normally consolidated clay based on the typical environmental parameters of Bothkennar, Scotland. Undrained failure envelopes and safety factors are obtained for suction caissons with different embedment ratios. Failure mechanisms, plastic zones, clay stress distributions, and the influence of the skin friction coefficients of caissons are discussed in detail.     

风、浪荷载作用下海上风机单桩结构灌浆连接段疲劳性能评价

灌浆连接段的疲劳性能对于海上风机单桩支撑结构至关重要。基于385种工况下的某实际5 MW单桩风机支撑结构在风、浪荷载作用下的动力响应分析,获取了灌浆连接段荷载边界条件时程。建立灌浆连接段精细化有限元子模型,将荷载边界条件转化为应力时程。对于剪力键采用"热点应力"方法进行疲劳性能评价。对于灌浆材料,选取剪力键附近灌浆材料单元积分点处的第三主应力进行疲劳性能评价。采用Palmgren-Miner线性损伤累计准则和雨流计数方法进行疲劳损伤的累计。在某实际灌浆连接段20年的设计寿命周期内,最大剪力键总疲劳损伤为1.35×10~(-10);最大灌浆材料总疲劳损伤为1.54×10~(-3)。由此可见,灌浆连接段的疲劳性能由灌浆材料控制,且损伤值远小于限值1/3,在现有的荷载条件下,灌浆连接段不会发生疲劳破坏。分析产生损伤较大的几种工况可知,风速对现有单桩结构灌浆连接段疲劳的损伤起控制作用。     

单向荷载作用下海上风机多桶基础承载特性数值分析

作为一种新型的深水海上基础型式,桶形基础在海上风机设施设计与建设中逐步得到了发展和应用。以三桶基础为例,采用大型有限元软件ABAQUS对海上风机多桶基础的承载特性进行了三维有限元数值分析。根据海上风机的荷载受力特点,分别探讨了三桶基础在竖向荷载、水平荷载和力矩作用下的极限承载力,得出荷载作用方向及桶间距对极限承载力的影响程度,研究成果为复合加载模式下海上风机多桶基础的承载特性分析奠定了基础。