Validation of Numerical Models of the Offshore Wind Turbine From the Alpha Ventus Wind Farm Against Full-Scale Measurements Within OC5 Phase III

Wojciech Popko,Matthias Kretschmer,Kai Wang,Hyunkyoung Shin,Kolja Müller,Philipp Thomas,Robert Harries,Roger Bergua,Bertrand Auriac,Jacob Qvist,Pau Trubat,Stian Høegh Sørum,Climent Molins,Jason Jonkman,Amy Robertson,Torbjørn Ruud Hagen,Zhisong Cai,Armando Alexandre,Fabian Wendt,Paul Bonnet,Philippe Gilbert,Jifeng Cai,Christos Galinos,Sehoon Oh ,Loup Suja‐Thauvin ,Jean Baptiste Le Dreff ,Peng Fu

doi:10.1115/1.4047378

Abstract

Abstract The main objective of the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation, with Correlation (OC5) project is validation of aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tools for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) through comparison of simulated results to the response data of physical systems. Phase III of the OC5 project validates OWT models against the measurements recorded on a Senvion 5M wind turbine supported by the OWEC Quattropod from the alpha ventus offshore wind farm. The following operating conditions of the wind turbine were chosen for the validation: (1) idling below the cut-in wind speed, (2) rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) rotation maneuver below the cut-in wind speed, (3) power production below and above the rated wind speed, and (4) shutdown. A number of validation load cases were defined based on these operating conditions. The following measurements were used for validation: (1) strains and accelerations recorded on the support structure and (2) pitch, yaw, and azimuth angles, generator speed, and electrical power recorded from the RNA. Strains were not directly available from the majority of the OWT simulation tools; therefore, strains were calculated based on out-of-plane bending moments, axial forces, and cross-sectional properties of the structural members. The simulation results and measurements were compared in terms of time series, discrete Fourier transforms, power spectral densities, and probability density functions of strains and accelerometers. A good match was achieved between the measurements and models setup by OC5 Phase III participants.

Highlights

The Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation, with Correlation (OC5) project [1], which operates under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 30 is the follow-up project of OC3 and OC4, which ran from 2005 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2014, respectively
The focus of OC3 and OC4 was to verify and benchmark simulation tools for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) with an emphasis on support structures through code-to-code comparison. This verification work led to improvements in model accuracy, which is a crucial achievement because the advancement of the offshore wind industry is closely tied to the development and accuracy of aero-servo-hydro-elastic OWT models [2,3]
The presented results give a general overview of differences between the measurements and the OC5 Phase III simulation results

Summary

Introduction

The Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration Continuation, with Correlation (OC5) project [1], which operates under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Task 30 is the follow-up project of OC3 and OC4, which ran from 2005 to 2009 and from 2010 to 2014, respectively. The focus of OC3 and OC4 was to verify and benchmark simulation tools for offshore wind turbines (OWTs) with an emphasis on support structures through code-to-code comparison. This verification work led to improvements in model accuracy, which is a crucial achievement because the advancement of the offshore wind industry is closely tied to the development and accuracy of aero-servo-hydro-elastic OWT models [2,3]. The OC5 project was focused on validation of aero-hydro-servoelastic simulation tools for OWTs through comparison of simulated results to the response data of physical systems. Phase III of the OC5 project analyzed the Senvion 5M wind turbine supported by the OWEC Quattropod from the alpha ventus offshore wind farm.

Methods

Results

Conclusion