Numerical Modeling of Dynamic Behavior of Annular Tuned Liquid Dampers for Applications in Wind Towers

Abstract

Abstract: In this study, the performance of annular liquid tanks as a tuned liquid damper (TLD) in mitigating the vibration of wind turbines was investigated using a numerical model. A proposed hybrid wind tower model composed of a concrete shaft and a steel mast with a height of 150 m was simulated using a single‐degree‐of‐freedom system. The structural domain including the tank wall and a rigid mass was modeled using finite element method, while the fluid domain was simulated by finite volume method using CFX software. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the behavior of annular TLD under harmonic loads for different mass and frequency ratios as well as displacement amplitudes. The damping characteristics of the annular TLD model were derived by comparing the numerical results with an equivalent linear model. In addition, the effectiveness of annular TLD was estimated by comparing the numerically calculated damping ratios with those corresponding to the optimum damping ratio values derived for a particular mass ratio based on the concept of tuned mass damper. It was found that that the annular TLD is effective when the amplitude of excitation is small. Moreover, the response of TLD in terms of nonlinear free surface sloshing and the energy dissipated by the system was discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of annular TLD in reducing the structural response of wind turbine towers under random vibrations was evaluated and discussed.