台风作用下海上风机基础结构安全评价

海上风机结构在运营期内可能面临极端风浪、地震等荷载作用。因此,极端工况作用下海上风机局部和整体结构反应将成为结构设计以及安全评价的重要参数。采用半整体方法,以桩基泥面最大位移、结构杆件极端承载力以及桩基抗压、抗拔承载力为判定指标,基于塑性可靠度理论,系统研究台风条件下运营期内海上风机基础结构可靠度指标变化规律,得出潜在的基础结构失效模式及相应判定指标。由研究可得,台风条件下运营期内海上风机基础结构各可靠度将显著受到基础冲刷、海生物生长和结构腐蚀的影响,并且结构失效模式将由单一模式破坏发展为多种模式联合失效。     

Effect of scouring in sand on monopile-supported offshore wind turbines

This paper analyzes the influence of scour on the overall response of monopile-supported offshore wind turbines (OWTs) in 20-m water depth. Scouring effects on OWTs have been often studied within the geotechnical domain, considering static loads at the mudline. The present work attempts to address the scour-induced problems in OWTs by making use of an integrated aerodynamic–hydrodynamic load approach in sandy soils. The OWT analysis is simulated for operational and shut-down (parked) condition. Under parked situations, the OWT blades are feathered, and power production is suspended, owing to structural safety concerns. The 50 Monte Carlo responses of stochastic sea-state condition (wind speed with turbulence, significant wave height, and peak spectral period) are generated. Irregular, long-crested waves are generated using the Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) spectrum. Then from each simulation, the ensemble response is obtained. Sandy soils of varying densities are considered. Results indicate that OWTs founded on loose sands suffer significant stiffness (and hence natural frequency) reductions, shifting the structure into the resonance regime. Lateral responses also show an escalation with reduction in density of sandy soil.     

海上风机吸力基础的水平受荷研究综述

吸力基础具有施工速度快、安装过程中受海况天气影响小且易于回收重复利用等优点,被广泛应用于海洋工程。当吸力基础作为海上风电塔架的基础时,常常承受较大的水平荷载,因此其水平承载力是设计的主控因素。介绍了海上风机基础的设计要求,分析了影响基础水平承载性状的因素,总结了吸力基础受水平单调荷载、水平循环荷载和不同荷载组合三个方面的研究现状。讨论了水平荷载的大小、水平加载的高度(偏心率)、循环荷载的频率、循环荷载的次数、循环荷载的幅值、循环荷载的方向性、竖向荷载对吸力基础水平承载性状的影响,考虑了水平荷载的非共线性,指出了目前研究的不足,明确了吸力基础水平承载性状进一步研究的方向,提出了供工程实践参考的建议。     

浮式风机极限载荷与疲劳载荷对比分析

根据IEC61400-3设定工况,采用NREL开发的5 MW风机基础模型,应用FAST,以Aero-Hydro-Servo-Elastic耦合仿真技术对风机进行研究。对时域仿真得到的短期载荷,应用分块极大值法联合Gumbel分布外推计算风机极限载荷;以雨流计数法、线性累积损伤理论和S-N曲线为理论基础应用MLife软件,计算风机疲劳载荷。对比分析不同工况下浮式风机、近海单桩风机和陆上风机的极限载荷与疲劳载荷,进而探讨影响浮式风机动态响应的因素。结果表明,对于陆上风机和近海单桩风机,风是其主要载荷来源;而波浪是浮式风机主要载荷来源。对风机进行设计要根据特定海域统计的海洋气候条件,避免风机及其支撑结构的固有频率与波浪频率近似而产生共振;风机制造装配在一定误差范围内,质量不平衡对风机载荷几乎没有影响。     

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.     

Investigation of the load-bearing capacity of suction caissons used for offshore wind turbines

This paper presents the results of three-dimensional finite element analyses of the suction bucket foundation used for offshore wind turbines. The behavior of the bucket and the response of soil supporting the bucket in dense and medium dense sandy soils subjected to static horizontal load are investigated. Field tests results and a centrifuge model test are used to validate the numerical model. Dimensionless horizontal load-displacement and overturning moment-rotation relationships are derived utilizing the Power law and Buckingham’s theorem. The results show good agreement between the numerical analysis results and the straight lines obtained from the Power law until a specific value of horizontal load and overturning moment. Regarding stress behavior of soil supporting the bucket, due to soil densification and bucket movement, maximum stresses are seen near the bucket tip at the right inside of the bucket. The major part of the applied load is transferred by the bucket skirt. Numerical analysis modeling results show that the bucket rotation and displacement are highly dependent on the bucket geometry and soil properties in addition to loading conditions. Normalized equations and figures for the ultimate horizontal load and overturning-moment capacities are presented and can be used for the preliminary design of the bucket foundations in sandy soils.     

Scour effects on bearing capacity of composite bucket foundation for offshore wind turbines

Abstract

Composite bucket foundation (CBF) is a wide-shallow foundation for offshore wind turbines, which can be transported and installed with the turbine as one unit at a one-step operation. Compared with deep pile foundations, its structural stability is more sensitive to the scouring by waves and currents. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element model with CBF and surrounding soil is established to estimate the failure mode at different given soil scour conditions. The loading on CBF for offshore wind turbines is characterized by relatively small vertical loading V, larger horizontal loading H, and bending moment M, and the effect of erosion on bearing capacity of CBF is determined by using the fixed displacement ratio method. In addition, the failure envelopes of the CBF applied in H–M and V–H–M loading modes are obtained. Results indicate that the bearing capacity of CBF under horizontal loading and bending moment will be significantly reduced by the decrease in the embedded depth of CBF due to the scouring depth and extent, as well as the H–M, and V–H–M failure envelopes. The structural stability safety factor of CBF under different scouring conditions can be obtained through the three-dimensional envelope surface with respect to scouring depth and extent.     

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。     

气流喷射模拟海上浮式风电结构风机载荷实验技术初探

随着海上风电技术的快速发展,海上风电逐渐由浅海走向深海,海上风电基础结构型式将逐渐由固定式发展到漂浮式。在浮式风电结构的模型实验中,风机载荷的模拟是保证实验效果的重要因素。针对浮式风电结构模型实验中风机载荷的模拟问题,提出了一种新型的基于气流喷射、利用气流反作用力模拟风机载荷的实验方法并进行了初步验证。通过标定得到气流控制信号与反作用力的关系,将数值模拟得到的原型风机载荷时程转换为相应的控制信号,同时针对实验装置对气流变化的响应特性,对控制信号进行频域和时域修正,驱动气流喷射以模拟风机作用力和力矩。经过实验验证,载荷模拟装置产生的载荷在时域和频域上都能与模型实验所需风机载荷保持较好的一致性,证明该方法可行。     

An improved two-step soil-structure interaction modeling method for dynamical analyses of offshore wind turbines

The detailed modeling of soil-structure interaction is often neglected in simulation codes for offshore wind energy converters. This has several causes: On the one hand, soil models are in general sophisticated and have many degrees of freedom. On the other hand, for very stiff foundations the effect of soil-structure interaction could often be discounted. Therefore, very simple approaches are utilized or the whole structure is assumed to be clamped at the seabed. To improve the consideration of soil-structure interaction, a six-directional, coupled, linear approach is proposed, which contains an implementation of soil-structure interaction matrices in the system matrices of the whole substructure. The aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation code FAST has been modified for this purpose. Subsequently, a 5 MW offshore wind energy converter with pile foundation is regarded in two examples.     

Incorporating irregular nonlinear waves in coupled simulation and reliability studies of offshore wind turbines

Design of an offshore wind turbine requires estimation of loads on its rotor, tower and supporting structure. These loads are obtained by time-domain simulations of the coupled aero-servo-hydro-elastic model of the wind turbine. Accuracy of predicted loads depends on assumptions made in the simulation models employed, both for the turbine and for the input wind and wave conditions. Currently, waves are simulated using a linear irregular wave theory that is not appropriate for nonlinear waves, which are even more pronounced in shallow water depths where wind farms are typically sited. The present study investigates the use of irregular nonlinear (second-order) waves for estimating loads on the support structure (monopile) of an offshore wind turbine. We present the theory for the irregular nonlinear model and incorporate it in the commonly used wind turbine simulation software, FAST, which had been developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), but which had the modeling capability only for irregular linear waves. We use an efficient algorithm for computation of nonlinear wave elevation and kinematics, so that a large number of time-domain simulations, which are required for prediction of long-term loads using statistical extrapolation, can easily be performed. To illustrate the influence of the alternative wave models, we compute loads at the base of the monopile of the NREL 5MW baseline wind turbine model using linear and nonlinear irregular wave models. We show that for a given environmental condition (i.e., the mean wind speed and the significant wave height), extreme loads are larger when computed using the nonlinear wave model. We finally compute long-term loads, which are required for a design load case according to the International Electrotechnical Commission guidelines, using the inverse first-order reliability method. We discuss a convergence criteria that may be used to predict accurate 20-year loads and discuss wind versus wave dominance in the load prediction. We show that 20-year long-term loads can be significantly higher when the nonlinear wave model is used.     

Evaluation of cyclic and monotonic loading behavior of bucket foundations used for offshore wind turbines

Suction caissons are considered as an alternative foundation solution for offshore wind turbines. In the present study, three-dimensional finite element (FE) analyses are performed to assess the behavior of a bucket foundation and soil supporting the bucket under cyclic and monotonic loading conditions. A parametric study is also performed for a wide range of bucket geometries and two different soil densities. The results indicate that bucket geometry and soil properties significantly affect the foundation response due to cyclic loading conditions. The bucket with the smallest geometry installed in medium dense soil exhibits the lowest stiffness in initial loading and then with the progress of cyclic loads experiences lower stiffness compared to the caissons with larger geometries. The sensitivity of the foundation response to the soil density is higher than its geometry. The bucket under the lowest vertical load experiences the lowest stiffness in both virgin loading and during the progress of cyclic loads. The highest soil displacement is observed near the lid at the interior of the bucket. Stresses caused by cyclic loading belong to certain ranges. Additionally, increases in the skirt length result in increases in the stress ranges and shift the range to the right side. With respect to the monotonic loading conditions, normalized diagrams are proposed that can be used for the preliminary design of suction bucket foundations.     

Wave run-up on slender circular cylindrical foundations for offshore wind turbines in nonlinear random waves

A practical method for estimating the wave run-up height on a slender circular cylindrical foundation for wind turbines in nonlinear random waves is provided. The approach is based on the velocity stagnation head theory and Stokes second order wave theory by assuming the basic harmonic wave motion to be a stationary Gaussian narrow-band random process. Comparisons are made with measurements by De Vos et al. (2007), and some of the highest wave run-up events that were predicted agree with those measured.     

海床表层软土对宽浅式筒型基础承载特性影响研究

近海海床表层多为软黏土或淤泥质土,为探究海床表层软土对海上风电宽浅式筒型基础承载特性的影响,以中国广东某海域风电场为背景,通过有限元分析的方法,研究竖向、水平、弯矩荷载作用下软土层厚度和土体强度对基础极限承载力、破坏模式以及筒基土压力分布的影响。研究结果表明:当软土层厚度小于H/2(H为筒裙高度)时,单向荷载作用下宽浅式筒型基础极限承载力随软土层厚度的增加呈线性减小的趋势;当软土层厚度大于H/2后,承载力降低速率逐渐增大。表层软土的存在,使得塑性区范围缩小,软土层内土体塑性破坏更加明显。竖向荷载作用下,随软土层厚度的增大,筒顶承载先减小后增大,筒内侧摩阻力先增大后减小;水平荷载和弯矩作用下,筒侧被动土压力的降低是引起软土覆盖地基中基础承载能力降低的主要因素。     

桩-筒组合基础在单层黏土中水平承载性能分析

桩-筒组合基础是将单桩基础与筒型基础组合的一种新型海上风电基础形式,其受力模式不同于传统桩基基础,优点是可通过合理减小桩长、桩壁厚等途径提高承载性能。基于极限地基反力法,提出单层黏土中桩-筒组合基础受力模式及水平承载力的计算方法。利用力加载和位移加载两种控制方法进行数值分析,研究水平承载性能的影响因素。结果表明,在一定范围内,桩-筒组合基础水平承载性能随桩入土深度、桩壁厚、筒外径的增大而提高。基于实际工程,对等用钢量的单桩基础与组合基础进行比较计算,结果表明,桩-筒组合基础可有效降低基础倾斜度和位移,提高承载性能。     

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.     

A data-driven method for optimal control of ship motions for safe crew transfer to offshore wind turbines

Due to uncertainties and random behavior of sea loads, presenting an accurate hydrodynamic analysis for motion control of offshore ships is a big challenge. This paper aims to propose a novel method for motion control of a crew transfer vessel (CTV) in order to ensure safe crew transfer to an offshore wind turbine (OWT). For this purpose, we propose a novel neural network observer-based optimal control (NOPC) scheme to tackle unknown dynamics and disturbances, nonlinear effects, and non-symmetric control input saturation constraints. Accordingly, the neural network (NN) structure addresses the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation and forms an optimal control signal remaining in the saturation bounds. The Lyapunov theory guarantees the Ultimately Uniformly Boundedness (UUB) of all signals of the closed-loop system. The high performance of the presented method is demonstrated in regular waves with high frequency in comparison with the previous studies. It is worth mentioning that there are not any limitations to implement the adopted strategy for other offshore applications.     

Modelling the drained response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines under general monotonic and cyclic loading

The response of bucket foundations on sand subjected to planar monotonic and cyclic loading is investigated in the paper. Thirteen monotonic and cyclic laboratory tests on a skirted footing model having a 0.3 m diameter and embedment ratio equal to 1 are presented. The loading regime reproduces the typical conditions of offshore wind turbines: very large cyclic overturning moment, large cyclic horizontal load and comparatively little, self-weight induced, vertical load. The experimental soil-foundation response is interpreted within the macro-element approach, using an existing analytical model, suitably modified to accommodate the footing embedment and the application of cyclic load. Details of the proposed model are provided together with evidences of its ability to reproduce the essential features of the experimentally observed behaviour. The results of the study aim at increasing the confidence in the use of the macro-element approach to predict the response of bucket foundations for offshore wind turbines, notably as the long-term accumulated displacements are concerned.     

台风对海上风电单桩基础累积变形影响试验研究

文中主要采用小比尺模型试验,研究了台风对海上风电单桩基础累积变形的影响。通过在模型槽中进行桩的水平静力和循环加载试验,得到了不同工况下桩的累积转角与循环加载次数之间的关系曲线。随后对曲线进行分析,拟合出无台风工况下累积转角的计算公式,然后运用叠加法,得出了有台风工况下累积转角的计算公式。试验结果表明,单独作用一种循环荷载时,桩的累积转角是循环次数的幂函数。台风引起的大幅值循环荷载会导致转角的陡升,且增加幅度与小幅值循环荷载的幅值负相关。当将台风荷载设置在加载过程的开头时,对于疲劳设计工况,台风荷载产生的累积转角占总的累积转角的99%以上,因而可以忽略小幅值循环荷载产生的累积转角,直接用台风荷载产生的累积转角代表桩的长期累积转角,实现简化设计。     

波浪荷载作用下近海风电单桩基础受力变形特性影响因素分析

为了对波浪荷载作用下近海风电大直径单桩基础受力变形特性的影响因素进行分析,以江苏省如东县某近海区域的水位地质条件为基础,运用有限元模拟软件 ABAQUS 进行数值模拟,对荷载大小、荷载位置、土体压缩模量、桩体自由度 影响因素展开分析。通过影响因素的不同量值,得出近海风电大直径单桩基础动载情况下受力变形特性的变化规律,从而为实际施工提供有价值的参考。