Abstract
This paper addresses the reduction of the fore-aft damage equivalent moment at the tower base for multi-megawatt offshore wind turbines mounted on jacket type substructures at 50 m water depths. The study investigates blade design optimization of a reference 10 MW wind turbine under standard wind conditions of onshore sites. The blade geometry and structure is optimized to yield a design that minimizes tower base fatigue loads without significant loss of power production compared to that of the reference setup. The resulting blade design is then mounted on a turbine supported by a jacket and placed under specific offshore site conditions. The new design achieves alleviate fatigue damage equivalent loads also in the jacket members, showing the possibility to prolong its design lifetime or to save material in comparison to the reference jacket. Finally, the results suggest additional benefit on the efficient design of other components such as the constituents of the nacelle.
Highlights
Recent trends in offshore wind energy have resulted in the need for the design of multi-megawatt wind turbines at moderate water depths
This paper addresses the reduction of the fore-aft damage equivalent moment at the tower base for multi-megawatt offshore wind turbines mounted on jacket type substructures at 50 m water depths
In conclusion, an aeroelastically tailored blade design is proposed with the goal of reducing the foreaft fatigue moment at the tower base; the ultimate aim being to prolong the fatigue lifetime of the jacket substructure and/or reduce material cost
Summary
Recent trends in offshore wind energy have resulted in the need for the design of multi-megawatt wind turbines at moderate water depths (up to 50 m). In such environments, adequate fixed support structures, which are capable of withstanding the extreme and fatigue loads throughout the design lifetime, are required. Fatigue loads on a jacket result from the contributions of sea, wake turbulence, and rotor induced loadings. The latter two contributions can be alleviated by selecting appropriate load mitigating control algorithms and/or appropriate blade aerodynamic designs
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