Wave run-up on cylindrical and cone shaped foundations for offshore wind turbines

Abstract

During the last decade, several offshore wind-farms were built and offshore wind energy promises to be a suitable alternative to provide green energy. However, there are still some engineering challenges in placing the foundations of offshore wind turbines. For example, wave run-up and wave impacts cause unexpected damage to boat landing facilities and platforms. To assess the forces due to wave run-up, the distribution of run-up around the pile and the maximum run-up height need to be known. This article describes a physical model study of the run-up heights and run-up distribution on two shapes of foundations for offshore wind turbines, including both regular and irregular waves. The influence of wave steepness, wave height and water depth on run-up is investigated. The measured run-up values are compared with applicable theories and previous experimental studies predicting run-up on a circular pile. The results show that the shape of the foundation substantially affects the maximum run-up level, increasing the expected run-up value. A new relationship between the wave climate (regular and irregular waves) and the run-up is suggested. For this, the velocity stagnation head theory is adjusted and second order Stokes equations are used to calculate the wave kinematics in the crest. The variation of the run-up around the pile is measured and it is found that the position with the lowest run-up level is located under 135°, while the run-up at that position amounts to approximately 40% to 50% of the maximum run-up.