Multiscale fluid–structure coupled real-time hybrid simulation of monopile wind turbines with vibration control devices

Abstract

Real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) technique is an emerging method for investigating the structural dynamic behavior. This technique combines the advantages of numerical simulations with those of physical tests. Traditionally used in earthquake engineering, it is now gaining traction in wind and marine engineering. This study proposes a comprehensive RTHS methodology for monopile-support offshore wind turbines (OWTs, numerical substructure) equipped with vibration control devices (physical substructure). The proposed RTHS framework is characterized by its (i) multiscale substructures (i.e., full-scale numerical substructure and reduced-scale physical substructure), (ii) fluid–structure coupled numerical simulation (i.e., considering wind-blade and wave-monopile interactions) and (iii) multi-rate numerical calculation. The proposed approach is applied to a 5-MW monopile OWT equipped with a toroidal tuned liquid column damper. Verification tests are conducted to examine the feasibility and validity of the RTHS framework. The influences of wind-blade and wave-monopile interactions are revealed for different loading scenarios.