Design,modelling, and analysis of a large floating dock for spar floating wind turbine installation

Installation of floating wind turbines at the offshore site is a challenging task. A significant part of the time efficiency and costs are related to the installation methods which are sensitive to weather conditions. This study investigates a large floating dock concept, which can be used to shield a floating wind turbine during installation of tower, nacelle, and rotor onto a spar foundation. In this paper, the concept is described in detail, and a design optimisation is carried out using simple design constraints. Hydrodynamic analysis and dynamic response analysis of the coupled system of the optimum dock and spar are conducted. Two spars of different sizes are considered, and the motion responses of the spars with and without the dock in irregular waves are compared. Through analysis of the motion spectra and response statistics, dynamic characteristics of the coupled system is revealed. The present design of the dock reduces the platform-pitch responses of the spars and potentially facilitates blade mating, but may deteriorate the heave velocity of the spars in swell conditions. Finally, future design aspects of the floating dock are discussed.     

Study on a new method for installing a monopile and a fully integrated offshore wind turbine structure

This paper presents a preliminary technical feasibility study on a new methodology proposed for installing a monopile-based bottom supported offshore wind turbine structure. The concept is developed to address the problem of “waiting for a suitable weather window” which is commonly faced by the existing installation methods that uses a typical jack-up platform. In the methodology, a floating vessel along with a floatable subsea structure fitted with a hull on the top, hereafter named SSIP (subsea structure for installing a pile), is proposed first to install a monopile. Then the same structure is used to carry an FIUS (fully integrated upper structure) of an offshore wind turbine, which is characterized by a telescopic tower, and install it over the monopile by using an FOP (float-over-pulling) arrangement. Here, the installation methodologies are first briefly described along with the critical load cases associated with them. These load cases are then numerically studied for a significant wave height (H_S) of 2.5 m, and the results are summarized. For installing a fully integrated offshore wind turbine upper structure on a monopile foundation by the FOP method, two installation schemes are presented, and their dynamic characteristics are compared. It is shown that the proposed methodologies have potential to provide installation solutions which can be environmentally more robust compared to the existing method for installing an offshore wind turbine.     

Stochastic dynamic load effect and fatigue damage analysis of drivetrains in land-based and TLP,spar and semi-submersible floating wind turbines

This paper deals with the feasibility of using a 5 MW drivetrain which is designed for a land-based turbine, on floating wind turbines. Four types of floating support structures are investigated: spar, TLP and two semi-submersibles. The fatigue damage of mechanical components inside the gearbox and main bearings is compared for different environmental conditions, ranging from cut-in to cut-out wind speeds. For floating wind turbines, representative wave conditions are also considered. All wind turbines are ensured to follow similar power curves, but differences in the control system (integral to different concepts) are allowed. A de-coupled analysis approach is employed for the drivetrain response analysis. First, an aero-hydro-servo-elastic code is employed for the global analysis. Next, motions, moments and forces from the global analysis are applied on the gearbox multi body model and the loads on gears and bearings are obtained. The results suggest that the main bearings sustain more damage in floating wind turbines than on land-based. The highest main bearing damage is observed for the spar floating wind turbine. The large wave induced axial load on the main shaft is found to be the primary reason of this high damage in the spar wind turbine. Apart from the main bearings - which are located on the main shaft outside the gearbox - other bearings and gears inside the gearbox hold damages in floating wind turbines equal or even less than in the land-based turbine. It is emphasized that the results presented in this study are based on a drivetrain with two main bearings, which considerably reduces the non-torque loads on the gearbox.     

Effects of structural flexibility on the dynamic responses of low-height lifting mechanism for offshore wind turbine installation

Installation complexities are one of the major challenges in the floating offshore wind turbine (OWT) industry. The modern concept introduced by the SFI-MOVE project is an effort to overcome the complexities by utilizing a low-height lifting mechanism. It is common to idealize a crane in the lifting mechanism as a rigid body since the structural deflections are smaller than the responses introduced by the other system components. However, structural flexibility can play an essential role in demanding offshore operations with smaller acceptable tolerances. In this study, lifting cranes are modeled using the finite element method and simplified by implementing equivalent 3D beam elements. Dynamic analysis is performed for various environmental conditions, and the responses of the crane structure and the OWT are calculated for each load case. This research reveals that crane structure flexibility influences the relative motion between a floating spar buoy and an OWT during mating operations. Crane structural flexibility contributes significantly to the OWT rotations. In addition, the response deviation between using rigid and flexible cranes increases as the excitation force increases. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the crane structural flexibility in the calculation when strict installation tolerances are needed.     

Dynamic response of a SWATH vessel for installing pre-assembled floating wind turbines

New and efficient installation concepts which can reduce the cost of developing an offshore wind farm are of particular interest. This paper explores a promising concept using the small water-plane area twin-hull vessel (SWATH) to install pre-assembled wind turbines (OWT) onto floating spar foundations. A focus is placed on the hydrodynamic performance of the SWATH and the response analysis of the coupled SWATH-spar system. Firstly, the numerically calculated difference-frequency wave force effect and damping forces of the original SWATH were verified with experimental data. Secondly, the original SWATH was modified to satisfy the criteria of weight-carrying capacity and hydrostatic stability. Thirdly, a multibody numerical model for the SWATH-spar system was developed, in which the hydrodynamic and mechanical couplings between the SWATH and a spar were considered. The SWATH is equipped with a dynamic positioning system to counteract the slow-drift wave force effects. The nonlinear time-domain simulations were carried out for the mating stage when a wind turbine is lifted above the spar foundation. Based on the analysis of statistics of the relative displacement and velocity of the tower bottom and the spar top, the installation concept with SWATH is found to be of decent performance. Finally, recommendations are provided for future research on this concept, which contributes to developing next-generation installation concepts for bottom-fixed and floating wind farms.     

浮式海上风力机运动性能和锚泊系统(英文)

The development of offshore wind farms was originally carried out in shallow water areas with fixed(seabed mounted) structures.However,countries with limited shallow water areas require innovative floating platforms to deploy wind turbines offshore in order to harness wind energy to generate electricity in deep seas.The performances of motion and mooring system dynamics are vital to designing a cost effective and durable floating platform.This paper describes a numerical model to simulate dynamic behavior of a new semi-submersible type floating offshore wind turbine(FOWT) system.The wind turbine was modeled as a wind block with a certain thrust coefficient,and the hydrodynamics and mooring system dynamics of the platform were calculated by SESAM software.The effect of change in environmental conditions on the dynamic response of the system under wave and wind loading was examined.The results indicate that the semi-submersible concept has excellent performance and SESAM could be an effective tool for floating wind turbine design and analysis.     

南海风浪条件下Spar式浮式风机平台的构型及参数

使用WAMIT软件建立了OC3-Hywind Spar式浮式风机模型，联合FAST软件计算了浮式风机在不同工况下的幅值响应算子；结合为南海海域波浪条件优化后的JONSWAP谱，对浮式风机进行了不同工况下的响应谱分析及最大响应值计算；进一步阐述了浮式平台结构构型参数的变化对整体结构在南海相应工况下的运动影响。     

1000T自升式风电安装船动力定位系统的设计

风电安装船在风场中不同机位之间迁移和定位过程中受到环境载荷的作用，需要设计合理的定位方案以满足定位要求。根据动力定位原理设计了1000t自升式风电安装船的动力定位方案，计算了风、浪、流的环境载荷及推进器推力值并进行比较。实际工程应用表明改定位系统的设计方案在一定的海况条件下满足动力定位的精度，航速也能达到风场中不同机位的迁移，具有良好的机动性，在风电安装船初期制定方案时指明方向和解决思路。     

半潜浮式风机的动力响应分析

OC4半潜浮式风机综合性能较好，但其浮式基础结构质量和结构复杂性使其建造成本高昂，而WindFloat半潜浮式风机浮式基础具有结构简单、建造成本低和减摇效果好等优点，但是适应水深较小且只适合特定海域。结合OC4和WindFloat半潜浮式风机浮式基础的结构特点，针对200 m水深环境设计OC4-WindFloat半潜浮式风机基础。基于叶素理论、莫里森公式和势流理论，通过有限元软件对OC4-WindFloat半潜浮式风机的固有周期及风浪联合作用下的动态响应进行耦合分析，并与OC4半潜浮式风机结果进行对比研究。结果显示，OC4-WindFloat半潜浮式风机固有周期及动态响应均满足相关规定，且具有比OC4更低的建造成本，相比WindFloat可适用更深的海域。研究结果对于浮式基础型式研究有一定的指导意义。     

超大型风机安装平台自升状态下的运动响应频域分析

针对自升自航式海上风机安装作业平台在风浪较大的海上风电场区域作业时风、浪、流载荷较大,影响安全的问题,基于SESAM软件,建立海上风机安装作业平台有限元模型,在频域内计算了波浪载荷和运动响应传递函数,并进行响应谱分析。结果表明,平台运动响应受波浪周期和浪向角的影响较大,当桩腿接近海底时,有可能对导致桩腿触底,在船舶设计以及船舶实际作业时应注意避免这种现象发生。     

海上风电安装船的发展趋势研究

随着海上风力发电产业的迅速发展,风电安装船需求越来越大,并且风电安装船是高附加值工程船,因此这一市场的吸引力将越来越受到造船界重视,竞争将越来越激烈,但海上风电场施工成本高、海上作业时间长及工期长等问题的存在延缓了海力发电产业的发展。因此,本文将着重对海上风电结构物施工、安装过程的单一海工设备发展进行浅析,为探索深水化、大型化、专业化、集成化的海上风电安装船来完成深海域基础施工及风机安装问题提供设计参考。     

自升式风电安装平台作业环境图谱技术应用研究

为了适应风电安装平台多机位快速作业的需求，本文利用环境图谱技术对某自升式风电安装平台进行在位作业环境适应性分析。通过对不同作业工况条件下平台的预压载能力、风暴保持能力、桩腿强度、桩靴承载能力及抗倾稳性等的关键指标校核，得到许用环境条件的组合，并生成用于指导机位操船作业的环境适应性图表。通过算例结果在实际应用中的反馈，该技术不但对实际的风电安装现场作业提供了基于工程分析的技术支持，且对现场作业能够予以切实的指导，不但提高风电安装作业安全性，而且显著提升了风电安装作业效率。     

Underactuated control and analysis of single blade installation using a jackup installation vessel and active tugger line force control

The assembly and installation costs account for a large share in the overall expenditures of an offshore wind farm project. Single blade installation is suitable for large scale wind turbines due to the lower crane capability requirement and lower transportation time. By introducing active tension control on the tugger lines, an automatic single blade installation approach can accomplish operations in higher sea states, reduce the waiting-on-weather time, and improve the operational efficiency. Compared to early research, a more complicated control objective is achieved in this paper, i.e., a two-tugger-line configuration is applied to stabilize the suspended blade in three degrees of freedom during crane rotation and blade root-hub mating processes. The pulleys on the crane boom, i.e., the ends of the tugger lines, are assumed to be fixedly placed, resulting in tugger line time-varying inclinations. A novel backstepping-like controller is designed and proved. It is able to stabilize the blade around its equilibrium and make it track the desired path. Sensitivity studies are conducted to evaluate the influence of the tugger line inclinations. In addition, the influence of the installed blades on a three-blade horizontal wind turbine with a monopile foundation is discussed. The proposed active control setup improves the installation success rate and reduces the risks for blade impacts that may occur during mating.     

张力腿式浮式风机平台的水动力和空气动力耦合响应分析

文章采用了空气动力、水动力、控制与弹性完全耦合的时域模拟方法研究了张力腿式浮式风机平台的动力响应.水动力载荷的计算采用了三维势流理论与Morison公式.空气动力载荷的计算采用了叶素动量理论和广义动态尾流理论.利用FAST软件得到了张力腿式浮式风机平台响应的时域结果,并分析了其动力响应特性.建立了描述平台纵荡运动的非线性微分方程,并采用了摄动方法求得其近似解,解释了纵荡运动中由非线性粘性效应引起的高频响应.对数值模拟结果的分析表明高频的响应分量对平台的动力性能有显著的影响.     

海上风电浮船分体安装运动响应数值仿真分析

本文采用数值仿真手段分析浮吊船的运动响应以确定采用浮吊船进行风电机组分体安装的可行性。利用基于边界元法的水动力学数值仿真的手段，计算强峰1800和苏连海起重08两艘起重船的浮体运动响应RAO。采用频域谱分析的方法，计算随机波条件下两船吊钩位置的垂荡运动响应谱，并通过波浪谱统计规律确定船舶的最大运动响应以及加速度响应，以确定风电机组分体安装的可行性。     

航行工况下自升式风车安装船强度直接计算研究

自升自航式风车安装船为海洋工程专业特种船舶,在风机运输,安装中有很高的实际利用价值。采用直接计算法,对航行工况下自升自航式风电安装船的总强度进行评估。建立了船体和桩腿的有限元建模,基于三维势流理论对波浪垂直弯矩进行长期预报,得到风车安装船在典型装载工况下的设计波参数,将船舶在设计波中的重力、静水压力、水动压力、惯性力等施加到模型上进行直接强度分析,对航行工况下船体和桩腿的强度进行了校核。本文的计算方法及结果可为自升自航式风车安装船的整体强度评估、船体结构优化提供有效依据,并且对同类工程船的设计开发具有指导意义。     

Model test investigation of a spar floating wind turbine

Several floating wind turbine designs whose hull designs reflect those used in offshore petroleum industry have emerged as leading candidates for the future development of offshore wind farms. This article presents the research findings from a model basin test program that investigated the dynamic response of a 1:50 scale model OC3 spar floating wind turbine concept designed for a water depth of 200 m. In this study the rotor was allowed to rotate freely with the wind speed and this approach eliminated some of the undesirable effects of controlling wind turbine rotational speed that were observed in earlier studies. The quality of the wind field developed by an array of fans was investigated as to its uniformity and turbulence intensity. Additional calibration tests were performed to characterize various components that included establishing the baseline wind turbine tower frequencies, stiffness of the delta type mooring system and free decay response behaviour. The assembled system was then studied under a sequence of wind and irregular wave scenarios to reveal the nature of the coupled response behaviour. The wind loads were found to have an obvious influence on the surge, heave and pitch behaviour of the spar wind turbine system. It was observed from the experimental measurements that bending moment at the top of the support tower is dominated by the 1P oscillation component and somewhat influenced by the incoming wave. Further it was determined that the axial rotor thrust and tower-top shear force have similar dynamic characteristics both dominated by tower’s first mode of vibration under wind-only condition while dominated by the incident wave field when experiencing wind-wave loading. The tensions measured in the mooring lines resulting from either wave or wind-wave excitations were influenced by the surge/pitch and heave couplings and the wind loads were found to have a clear influence on the dynamic responses of the mooring system.     

半潜型浮式风机运动特征及系泊系统的研究

近年来海上浮式风机的研究备受关注,安全可靠的系泊系统将保证风机在风、浪、流等复杂环境荷载作用下稳定运行,准确合理地描述风机运动将为评估风机发电效率提供支持。以半潜型浮式风机的系泊系统为研究对象,基于经典悬链线理论,采用准静态分析法提出一套系泊系统的设计方法。通过坐标变换,得到风轮真实的俯仰运动用于计算风机的动力效应及评定其发电效率。采用动力法分析了系泊系统锚链的导缆孔位置、预张力大小、锚链间夹角等参数对风机系统发电效率、浮式平台运动性能和系泊锚链张力的影响,得到了浮式平台迎风面俯仰倾角、水平偏移及锚链张力随参数的变化规律,为半潜型浮式风机系泊系统的设计提供了参考。     

新型半潜式风力发电安装平台概念设计与整体强度分析

在确定总布置方案和主尺度的基础上,针对新型半潜式风车安装平台进行强度验证和结构优化。采用Sesam软件建立平台结构整体模型和水动力模型,基于设计波法对平台自存、操作、航行工况下的整体强度、节点、杆件和局部进行规范校核。充分考虑运输安装一体化的作业形式,给出风机整体运输和吊装方案,完成平台的基础设计工作。研究表明:新型半潜式平台的整体应力分布、杆件和节点利用率、关键区域局部强度基本满足规范要求;一体化运输安装方式充分考虑了经济性和安全性要求,提高了海上风电安装的作业效率。