May 6, 2016

Dynamics and Fatigue of Offshore Wind

Turbine Foundations
A linear approach to a non-linear
problem
Laszlo Arany
Department of Engineering Mathematics
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

May 6, 2016

What do I work on?

Long term behaviour of offshore wind

turbines and support structures.
Dynamics
Random vibrations
Fatigue

Control
Vibration
suppression

NOT REALLY

YES
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

6 May 2016

Why work on offshore wind turbines?

The economics

The engineering

Airbus A380 (largest

passenger plane)

108 load cycles

Source: EWEA report on offshore wind in Europe (2015)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

Source: Gijs van der Veen, Identification

of wind energy systems

6 May 2016

Why work on offshore wind turbines?

Environment and
sustainability

Source: Various studies collected by the World Nuclear Association

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

6 May 2016

Why work on support structures?

Onshore
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

Source: nrel.gov
5

Offshore

May 6, 2016

Structure of the presentation

I. Excitations of offshore wind turbines
II. Current foundation design
III. Long term issues
IV. Fatigue in the frequency domain
V. Integrated design
VI. An unsolved problem ideas welcome!
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

May 6, 2016

I. Excitations of offshore
wind turbines

Wind
Waves
Currents
1P
3P
Ship impact,
earthquake, etc

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

May 6, 2016

Frequency band of excitations

Siemens 3.6MW,
107m rotor
diameter turbine
Rotational
frequency:
5-13RPM

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

May 6, 2016

The aerodynamics is non-linear

Source: ECN
Windenergie

Source: Smart
Blade GmbH

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

May 6, 2016

Waves are non-linear

Source: Kyushu
University web page

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

10

May 6, 2016

Soil is non-linear

Source: Cox (2014)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

11

6 May 2016

How does the load process actually look?

12

6 May 2016

II. Current load analysis of offshore wind turbines

Time domain analysis

1.Create time history of wind and waves
2.Use it as input for multibody software (aerohydro-servo-elastic simulation with Soil-Structure
Interaction (SSI))

3.Obtain time history of loads for all required

load scenarios (hundreds of scenarios)
4.Fatigue: rainflow counting + linear damage
accumulation afterthought
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

13

May 6, 2016

Design of foundations
M
H
Requirements:
ULS
FLS
SLS
ALS

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

14

May 6, 2016

Current design of offshore wind turbines

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

15

May 6, 2016

Current design of offshore wind turbines

Diameter?
Foundation depth?
Amount of steel?
Installation
procedure?
Fatigue life?
Cost of Energy?

Optimal?

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

16

6 May 2016

III. Long term issues

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

17

6 May 2016

Effect of load cycles on frequency and damping

Different behaviour for sand and clay

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

18

6 May 2016

Natural frequency change with time

Twisted Jacket in Hornsea [Lowe

(2012)]

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

Reference:
Kallehave and Thilsted (2012)

19

6 May 2016

Pile head deflection and tilt (1)

Long term tilt has to be predicted
(according to standards)
Very few studies available on how to do it
Achmus et. al. (2009), LeBlanc (2010), Cox et. al. (2014)

Virtually no measurement data are

available
Tilt is not monitored on existing offshore
wind turbines
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

20

6 May 2016

Pile head deflection and tilt (2)

Strict requirements increase
foundation costs
Maximum 0.25 (or 0.5)

Requirements are arbitrary

numbers originating from
onshore wind technology for
the safe operation of the
turbine and visual concerns
Cox et. al. (2014)
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

21

6 May 2016

Pile head deflection and tilt (3)

For NREL 5MW:

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

22

6 May 2016

IV. A linear approach to a non-linear problem

1. Determine transfer function between wind spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
2. Determine transfer function between wave spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
3. Calculate natural frequency using simplified model.
4. Apply Dynamic Amplification Factors to wind and wave loads.
5. Combine bending moment spectra from wind and waves.
6. Use bending moment spectrum to determine stress
spectrum.
7. Use stress spectrum to estimate damage rate using
frequency domain fatigue damage estimation methods.

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

23

6 May 2016

1-2. Transfer functions (1)

Wind load model based
on quasi-static equation

Wave spectrum:
JONSWAP spectrum
Linear (Airy) waves are
used

Turbulent wind
component replaced by
Kaimal spectrum of
turbulence
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

Morisons equation for

the wave load
24

6 May 2016

1-2. Transfer functions (2)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

25

6 May 2016

IV. A linear approach to a non-linear problem

1. Determine transfer function between wind spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
2. Determine transfer function between wave spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
3. Calculate natural frequency using simplified model.
4. Apply Dynamic Amplification Factors to wind and wave loads.
5. Combine bending moment spectra from wind and waves.
6. Use bending moment spectrum to determine stress
spectrum.
7. Use stress spectrum to estimate damage rate using
frequency domain fatigue damage estimation methods.

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

26

6 May 2016

3. Natural Frequency

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

27

6 May 2016

3. Natural frequency

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

of the tower

28

6 May 2016

4. System Gain (DAF)

Source: Suby Bhattacharya presentation

Natural frequency determined using linear springs as foundation stiffness

Approximate empirical formulae fitted to PDE solutions
Dynamic Amplification by using approximate damping as in Camp et. al. (2004)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

29

6 May 2016

5-6. Mudline Bending Moment Spectrum (1)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

30

6 May 2016

5-6. Mudline Bending Moment Spectrum (2)

How does a theoretical spectrum measure up to reality?

P
S
D

Frequency
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

31

6 May 2016

IV. A linear approach to a non-linear problem

1. Determine transfer function between wind spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
2. Determine transfer function between wave spectrum and
mudline moment spectrum.
3. Calculate natural frequency using simplified model.
4. Apply Dynamic Amplification Factors to wind and wave loads.
5. Combine bending moment spectra from wind and waves.
6. Use bending moment spectrum to determine stress
spectrum.
7. Use stress spectrum to estimate damage rate using
frequency domain fatigue damage estimation methods.

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

32

6 May 2016

7. Frequency domain methods (1)

Probability density of
stress amplitudes:

Power spectral density

of moment / stress:

Damage rate:

A point on the S-N curve and

inverse slope

Fatigue life:

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

33

6 May 2016

7. Frequency domain methods (2)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

34

6 May 2016

7. Simple, empirical expressions

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

35

6 May 2016

7. How do they measure up to reality?

Overestimation typical
Reasonable accuracy
considering the
general accuracy of
fatigue estimations
(failure anywhere
between 0.7 and 1.5)

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

36

6 May 2016

V. Integrated design benefits (1)

Turbine components/parameters:

Single speed, double speed, variable speed?

Direct drive or gearbox? How many steps?
Generator type?
Blade design?

Can impact natural frequency,

foundation size, lifetime and settlement
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

37

6 May 2016

V. Integrated design benefits (2)

Serviceability requirements (tilt and
deflection):

Tower strike?
Yaw motor or yaw break difficulties?
Cooling fluid problems?
Bearing lifetime?

Costs can be reduced

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

38

6 May 2016

VI. An unsolved problem Ideas welcome (1)

Long term tilt with directional wind and waves

linear
accumulation?

Source: Cox et.

al. (2014)
Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

39

6 May 2016

An unsolved problem Ideas welcome (2)

How to treat it statistically?

Waves

Wind

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

40

6 May 2016

VI. An unsolved problem Ideas welcome (3)

Long term tilt and deflection with
different wind and sea states (Weibull
distribution),
different load combinations (one-way and
two-way),
three dimensional problem,
directionality of wind and waves.

Dynamics and Control Group Seminar

41

6 May 2016

Thank you!

42