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.     

南海某导管架海洋平台倒塌分析

针对在役老龄导管架平台进行倒塌计算分析,确定极限承载力进而评估老龄导管架的安全裕度。采用非线性有限元方法,考虑平台的波流载荷及桩-土的非线性相互作用,利用SACS软件建立导管架整体三维有限元计算分析模型,并用逐步加载的方式,对南海某导管架平台进行了全过程非线性倒塌分析。计算分析表明,该导管架平台极限强度很高,具有较大的安全裕度;导管架倒塌过程呈逐步破坏形式,先是撑杆屈服,造成局部结构破坏,然后是钢桩发生屈服,降低结构承载力,最后节点逐步失效,造成结构倒塌。揭示了导管架平台结构失效倒塌的机理,给出了倒塌分析的可行方法和步骤。     

浮托安装进船过程中护舷碰撞力实测研究

浮托安装法广泛应用于大型组块海上安装。导管架平台上部组块浮托安装进船过程中,风、浪、流引起的浮托驳船横向运动造成浮托驳船与导管架桩腿的碰撞,碰撞力可能会对导管架结构造成损伤。陆丰7-2上部组块浮托安装中,为了监测碰撞力大小,设计了碰撞力海上监测系统。通过在导管架外侧四个桩腿上安装光纤光栅应变传感器对碰撞过程中导管架桩腿进行应力监测,进而计算碰撞力。对碰撞过程,载荷作用位置、方向进行简化,并对载荷大小及垂向作用位置对计算的影响进行了研究。结构分析模型简化后,测点von-Mises应力与碰撞力大小成正比,对导管架整体结构建模计算并取局部结构计算比例系数,结合应力实测数据计算出进船过程中驳船对导管架桩腿碰撞力。     

Uncertainty analysis of soil-pile interactions of monopile offshore wind turbine support structures

The objective of this work is to study the uncertainties involved in the modelling of the soil-pile interaction concerning their influence on the prediction of the dynamic structural response of monopile offshore wind turbine support structures. Two main issues are identified and addressed: the adequacy of the method used to deal with the soil-pile interactions and the adequacy of the soil properties reflecting the behaviour of the soil. The present study develops an approach that defines the penetrated pile length depending on the soil profile. Also, a parameter is defined to avoid the excessive usage of steel for the penetrated pile structure. The uncertainties are included in the probabilistic free vibration analysis and the contribution of each random variable to the scatter of the response is estimated by performing a sensitivity analysis. The results indicate that the uncertainty involved in the modelling of the soil profile has a significant effect on the coefficient of variance of the natural frequency, which is a serious issue to be considered in the fatigue life assessment of offshore wind turbine support structures.     

Dynamic modeling and vibration suppression for an offshore wind turbine with a tuned mass damper in floating platform

The worldwide demand for renewable energy is increasing rapidly. Wind energy appears as a good solution to copy with the energy shortage situation. In recent years, offshore wind energy has become an attractive option due to the increasing development of the multitudinous offshore wind turbines. Because of the unstable vibration for the barge-type offshore wind turbine in various maritime conditions, an ameliorative method incorporating a tuned mass damper (TMD) in offshore wind turbine platform is proposed to demonstrate the improvement of the structural dynamic performance in this investigation. The Lagrange's equations are applied to establish a limited degree-of-freedom (DOF) mathematical model for the barge-type offshore wind turbine. The objective function is defined as the suppression rate of the standard deviation for the tower top deflection due to the fact that the tower top deflection is essential to the tower bottom fatigue loads, then frequency tuning method and genetic algorithm (GA) are employed respectively to obtain the globally optimum TMD design parameters using this objective function. Numerical simulations based on FAST have been carried out in typical load cases in order to evaluate the effect of the passive control system. The need to prevent the platform mass increasing obviously has become apparent due to the installation of a heavy TMD in the barge-type platform. In this case, partial ballast is substituted for the equal mass of the tuned mass damper, and then the vibration mitigation is simulated in five typical load cases. The results show that the passive control can improve the dynamic responses of the barge-type wind turbine by placing a TMD in the floating platform. Through replacing partial ballast with a uniform mass of the tuned mass damper, a significant reduction of the dynamic response is also observed in simulation results for the barge-type floating structure.     

Effects of installation on the cyclic axial behaviour of suction buckets in sandy soils

Suction buckets differ with their easy and cost-efficient installation technique from other foundation types for offshore wind turbines. For successful completion of their installation process, suction is essential, but the imposed seepage leads to the changes in states of the soil in and around the bucket. Especially, a loosening of soil inside the bucket affects the load carrying behaviour of bucket subjected to repetitive loading resulting from environmental conditions. In this study, the behaviour of buckets under cyclic axial compressive loads with considering a possible loosening and related changes in permeability of soil inside the bucket is investigated numerically. In the framework of finite element analysis, a fully coupled two-phase model and a hypoplastic constitutive model are used to describe the saturated sandy soil behaviour under repetitive loading. The porosity-permeability variation is taken into account by Kozeny–Carman relationship. Special attention is dedicated to load carrying behaviour of bucket top plate, inner and outer skirt as well as base and their changes resulting from a loosening of soil inside the bucket with variable aspect ratio. For this purpose, cyclic axial compressive loads which cause an attenuation and progressive failure of soil-bucket system response are considered. The main findings on the changes in load carrying behaviour of bucket are presented and discussed.     

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.     

An improved analytical approach for simulating the lateral kinematic distress of deepwater offshore pipelines

Offshore pipelines are critical infrastructures and any possible damage may have devastating financial and environmental consequences. Earthquake-related geohazards (such as strong ground motion, active seismic faults, submarine landslides and debris flows) consist crucial threats that an offshore pipeline has to overcome. The main aim of the current study is to examine analytically a seabed-laid offshore pipeline subjected to a lateral kinematic distress due to a submarine landslide or a debris flow. Extra emphasis is given on the impact of pipe-soil interaction on the pipe response, by the realistic representation of the soil resistance via a tri-linear model. Firstly, the proposed analytical model is validated with a numerical model utilizing the finite-element method. Subsequently, various combinations of soil parameters and loading conditions that affect the examined problem are investigated with realistic input data taken from the offshore section of the high-pressure natural-gas pipeline TAP (Trans Adriatic Pipeline) in the Adriatic Sea. Finally, useful conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability and the efficiency of the proposed approach.     

山东半岛北部近海海域北西向蓬莱-威海断裂带的声波探测

在山东半岛北部近海海域进行了多条剖面的声波探测,初步查明了蓬莱－威海断裂带的基本活动特征.该断裂带由一系列北西走向的次级断层组成,主体在长岛至大竹岛之间的海域,多数断层以正断兼有走滑运动为主,部分断层具有逆冲运动性质.断裂带在第四纪活动明显,以北东向桃村-东陡山断裂在海域的延伸段为界,蓬莱-威海断裂带可分为两段：长岛-烟台段和烟台-威海段.西段长岛-烟台段为晚更新世活动段,多数次级断层上断点埋深位于海底以下30m,明显错断了中更新世地层,部分断层明显错断了晚更新世早期地层,有些断层达到晚更新世地层中部,但没有发现全新世地层错动现象.东段烟台-威海段为中更新世活动段,没有发现晚更新世地层错断现象.蓬莱-威海断裂带对历史地震和现代小震活动具有明显控制作用,其中1548年7级地震发生于断裂带西段,1948年6级地震发生于断裂带东段.蓬莱-威海断裂带与北东向断裂交汇区是中强地震发生的有利部位.     

2016—2017年夏季舟山近岸海域富营养化程度与浮游植物多样性

文章根据2016-2017年夏季的调查资料,对2016-2017年夏季舟山近岸海域富营养化状态及浮游植物进行分析。结果表明:2016-2017年夏季舟山近岸海域富营养化程度较高,且由近岸至外海递减;浮游植物群落主要由硅藻和甲藻组成,其密度、多样性指数均由近岸至外海递增;受其他因素影响,富营养化程度与浮游植物多样性关系的规律性不显著。