Assessing structural homogeneity and heterogeneity in offshore wind farms: A population-based structural health monitoring approach

Abstract

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of population-based structural health monitoring applied to offshore wind farms, with a specific focus on a real wind farm. The study quantifies the heterogeneity within the wind turbine population utilising advanced numerical methods. The Fréchet distance is introduced as a key metric to assess the similarity in terms of structural integrity among the turbines considering factors, such as geometry, material properties, topology, and operational conditions. The results revealed a predominant homogeneity with respect across the wind turbines, despite variations in environmental exposure and operational states. Furthermore, the scope of the study is extended to explore the implications of environmental influences, such as corrosion, scour, and marine growth, which are typically unmonitored yet crucial for comprehensive structural assessment. The present paper contributes to the field by demonstrating the feasibility of knowledge transfer in homogeneous wind turbine populations and highlighting the need for detailed similarity assessments in heterogeneous settings. The findings of this study pave the way for better-targeted, smart, and efficient structural health monitoring strategies in renewable energy systems.