Local Scour Mechanisms and Prediction Methods Around Offshore Wind Turbine Foundations:Insights and Future Directions

Local scour around offshore wind turbine foundations presents a considerable challenge due to its potential influence on structural stability,driven by hydrodynamic forces.While research has made strides in comprehending scouring mechanisms,notable complexities persist,specifically with newer foundation types.Addressing these limitations is vital for advancing our understanding of scour mechanisms and for improving mitigation strategies in offshore wind energy development.This review synthesizes current findings on local scour across various offshore foundations,encompassing field observations,data-driven approaches,turbulence-sediment interactions,scour evolution processes,influencing factors,and numerical model advancements.The objective is to enrich our understanding of local scour mechanisms.In addition,future research directions are outlined,including the development of robust arti-ficial intelligence models for accurate predictions,the exploration of vortex structure characteristics,and the refinement of numerical models to strengthen prediction capabilities while minimizing computational efforts.

Aero-Hydro-Elastic-Servo Modeling and Dynamic Response Analysis of A Monopile Offshore Wind Turbine Under Different Operating Scenarios

This paper constructs a coupled aero-hydro-elastic-servo simulation framework for a monopile offshore wind turbine(OWT).In this framework,a detailed multi-body dynamics model of the monopile OWT including the gearbox,blades,tower and other components(nacelle,hub,bedplate,etc.)has been explicitly established.The effects of pile−soil interaction,controller and operational conditions on the turbine dynamic responses are studied systematically in time domain and frequency domain.The results show that(1)a comprehensive drivetrain model has the capability to provide a more precise representation of the complex dynamic characteristics exhibited by drivetrain components,which can be used as the basis for further study on the dynamic characteristics of the drivetrain.(2)The pile−soil interaction can influence the wind turbine dynamic responses,particularly under the parked condition.(3)The effect of the pile−soil interaction on tower responses is more significant than that on blade responses.(4)The use of the controller can substantially affect the rotor characteristics,which in turn influences the turbine dynamic responses.(5)The tower and blade displacements under the operational condition are much larger than those under the parked condition.The model and methodology presented in this study demonstrate potential for examining complex dynamic behaviors of the monopile OWTs.To ensure accuracy and precision,it is imperative to construct a detailed model of the wind turbine system,while also taking into account simulation efficiency.

A Task Offloading Strategy Based on Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Offshore Wind Farm Scenarios

This research is the first application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAVs)equipped with Multi-access Edge Computing(MEC)servers to offshore wind farms,providing a new task offloading solution to address the challenge of scarce edge servers in offshore wind farms.The proposed strategy is to offload the computational tasks in this scenario to other MEC servers and compute them proportionally,which effectively reduces the computational pressure on local MEC servers when wind turbine data are abnormal.Finally,the task offloading problem is modeled as a multi-intelligent deep reinforcement learning problem,and a task offloading model based on MultiAgent Deep Reinforcement Learning(MADRL)is established.The Adaptive Genetic Algorithm(AGA)is used to explore the action space of the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(DDPG),which effectively solves the problem of slow convergence of the DDPG algorithm in the high-dimensional action space.The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm,AGA-DDPG,saves approximately 61.8%,55%,21%,and 33%of the overall overhead compared to local MEC,random offloading,TD3,and DDPG,respectively.The proposed strategy is potentially important for improving real-time monitoring,big data analysis,and predictive maintenance of offshore wind farm operation and maintenance systems.

Experimental Study on the Sinking and Leveling of A Large-Capacity Offshore Wind Turbine Five-Bucket Foundation in Sand

As offshore wind farms expand into deeper and farther ocean regions and the unit capacity of offshore wind turbines(OWTs)increases,there is a pressing need for a new foundation structure that can accommodate deep-sea conditions and support large capacities while maintaining economical and safe.To meet this goal of integrated transportation and one-step installation,a novel five-bucket jacket foundation(FBJF),with its suction installation and leveling methods in sand,has been proposed,analyzed and experimentally studied.First,seepage failure experiments of the FBJF at various depths were conducted,and a formula for calculating the critical suction of seepage failure suitable for the FBJF in sand was chosen and recommended for use with a range of values for the permeability coefficient ratio.Second,through leveling experiments of the FBJF at different depths,the maximum adjustable leveling angle during the sinking process was defined using seepage failure and the adjustable leveling angle of the foundation as control criteria.Various leveling control strategies were proposed and verified.Finally,an automatic sinking and leveling control system for the FBJF was developed and experimentally verified for feasibility.

Primary frequency control considering communication delay for grid-connected offshore wind power systems

Offshore wind farms are becoming increasingly distant from onshore centralized control centers,and the communication delays between them inevitably introduce time delays in the measurement signal of the primary frequency control.This causes a deterioration in the performance of the primary frequency control and,in some cases,may even result in frequency instability within the power system.Therefore,a frequency response model that incorporates communication delays was established for power systems that integrate offshore wind power.The Padéapproximation was used to model the time delays,and a linearized frequency response model of the power system was derived to investigate the frequency stability under different time delays.The influences of the wind power proportion and frequency control parameters on the system frequency stability were explored.In addition,a Smith delay compensation control strategy was devised to mitigate the effects of communication delays on the system frequency dynamics.Finally,a power system incorporating offshore wind power was constructed using the MATLAB/Simulink platform.The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed delay compensation control strategy.

Dynamic Analysis of a 10 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Considering the Tower and Platform Flexibility

Recently,semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine technologies have received considerable attention.For the coupled simulation of semisubmersible floating offshore wind energy,the platform is usually considered a rigid model,which could affect the calculation accuracy of the dynamic responses.The dynamic responses of a TripleSpar floating offshore wind turbine equipped with a 10 MW offshore wind turbine are discussed herein.The simulation of a floating offshore wind turbine under regular waves,white noise waves,and combined wind-wave conditions is conducted.The effects of the tower and platform flexibility on the motion and force responses of the TripleSpar semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine are investigated.The results show that the flexibility of the tower and platform can influence the dynamic responses of a TripleSpar semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine.Considering the flexibility of the tower and platform,the tower and platform pitch motions markedly increased compared with the fully rigid model.Moreover,the force responses,particularly for tower base loads,are considerably influenced by the flexibility of the tower and platform.Thus,the flexibility of the tower and platform for the coupled simulation of floating offshore wind turbines must be appropriately examined.

Aero-Hydrodynamic Coupled Dynamic Characteristics of Semi-Submersible Floating Offshore Wind Turbines Under Inflow Turbulence

In this study,the frequency characteristics of the turbulent wind and the effects of wind-wave coupling on the low-and high-frequency responses of semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbines(FOWT)are investigated.Various wave load components,such as first-order wave loads,combined first-and second-order difference-frequency wave loads,combined first-and second-order sum-frequency wave loads,and first-and complete second-order wave loads are taken into consideration,while different turbulent environments are considered in aerodynamic loads.The com-parison is based on time histories and frequency spectra of platform motions and structural load responses and statistical values.The findings indicate that the second-order difference-frequency wave loads will significantly increase the natural frequency of low-frequency motion in the responses of the platform motion and structure load of the semi-submersible platform,which will cause structural fatigue damage.Under the action of turbulent wind,the influences of second-order wave loads on the platform motion and structural load response cannot be ignored,especially under extreme sea conditions.Therefore,in order to evaluate the dynamic responses of semi-submersible FOWT more accurately,the actual environment should be simulated more realistically.

Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Three-Bucket Jacket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines During the Lowering Process

The three-bucket jacket foundation is a new type of foundation for offshore wind turbine that has the advantages of fast construction speed and suitability for deep water. The study of the hoisting and launching process is of great significance to ensure construction safety in actual projects. In this paper, a new launching technology is proposed that is based on the foundation of the three-bucket jacket for offshore wind turbine. A complete time domain simulation of the launching process of three-bucket jacket foundation is carried out by a theoretical analysis combined with hydrodynamic software Moses. At the same time, the effects of different initial air storage and sea conditions on the motion response of the structure and the hoisting cable tension are studied. The results show that the motion response of the structure is the highest when it is lowered to 1.5 times the bucket height. The natural period of each degree of freedom of the structure increases with the increase of the lowering depth. The structural motion response and the hoisting cable tension vary greatly in the early phases of Stages Ⅰ and Ⅲ, smaller in Stage Ⅱ, and gradually stabilize in the middle and late phases of Stage Ⅲ.

Evaluating effectiveness of multiple tuned mass dampers for vibration control of jacket offshore wind turbines under onshore and seafloor earthquakes

The dynamic characteristics and structural responses of operation and grid loss offshore wind turbines(OWTs)under onshore and seafloor earthquakes are analyzed based on the established coupled seismic analysis model.In addition to the remarkable influence of the rotor system on the responses of the operation OWT under earthquakes,interactions among the natural modes of the grid loss OWT in the fore-aft and side-to-side directions are revealed.By comparing with the onshore earthquakes,the more significant differences of structural response are observed under the selected seafloor earthquakes,due to the longer duration and more abundant energy distribution around the natural frequencies of OWT.Concurrently,a multiple tuned mass damper(MTMD)is designed and applied to the operation and grid loss OWTs.Then,the comparisons of the mitigation effects under onshore and seafloor ground motions are carried out,and the necessity of applying seafloor ground motions to OWTs are proved.Moreover,in comparison to the operation OWT,more effective reductions are observed for the grid loss OWT under onshore and seafloor earthquakes using the designed MTMD.Therefore,the combined shutdown procedures and MTMD vibration control strategy is suggested for OWTs under earthquakes.

Research on the Critical Buckling Pressure of Bucket Foundations with Inner Compartments for Offshore Wind Turbines

In the process of suction penetration of bucket foundations with inner compartments for offshore wind turbines,most researches focus on soil seepage failure and soil plugs,while the buckling of foundations is rarely investigated.Therefore,theoretical calculation methods for critical buckling pressures of the skirt and bulkheads of the bucket foundation are first presented according to the stability theory of a cylindrical shell and the small deflection theory of a thin plate,respectively.Furthermore,two types of models with and without considering the skirt-soil interaction are developed for the calculation of critical buckling pressure of the bucket foundation.Taking a practical project as an example,theoretical and numerical methods are used to obtain the critical buckling pressures of a bucket foundation.In this work,the theoretical method and the finite element model considering the skirt-soil interaction for calculating the critical buckling pressure of bucket foundations are firstly proposed.The results can help to optimize the design process of offshore wind turbine foundations and improve the safety of offshore wind power systems.

A Simplified Method for Estimating the Initial Stiffness of Monopile-Soil Interaction Under Lateral Loads in Offshore Wind Turbine Systems

The interface mechanical behavior of a monopile is an important component of the overall offshore wind turbine structure design.Understanding the soil-structure interaction,particularly the initial soil-structure stiffness,has a significant impact on the study of natural frequency and dynamic response of the monopile.In this paper,a simplified method for estimating the interface mechanical behavior of monopiles under initial lateral loads is proposed.Depending on the principle of minimum potential energy and virtual work theory,the functions of soil reaction components at the interface of monopiles are derived;MATLAB programming has been used to simplify the functions of the initial stiffness by fitting a large number of examples;then the functions are validated against the field test data and FDM results.This method can modify the modulus of the subgrade reaction in the p-y curve method for the monopile-supported offshore wind turbine system.

Simulation of Offshore Wind Turbine Blade Docking Based on the Stewart Platform

The windy environment is the main cause affecting the efficiency of offshore wind turbine installation.In order to improve the stability and efficiency of single-blade installation of offshore wind turbines under high wind speed conditions,the Stewart platform is used as an auxiliary tool to help dock the wind turbine blade in this paper.In order to verify the effectiveness of the Stewart platform for blade docking,a blade docking simulation system consisting of the Stewart platform,wind turbine blade,and wind load calculation module was built based on Simulink/SimscapeMultibody.At the same time,the PID algorithm is used to control the Stewart platform so that the blade can effectively track the desired trajectory during the docking process to ensure the successful docking of the blade.Through the simulation of the docking process for blades with a length of 61.5 meters,this paper successfully demonstrates a docking system that might facilitate future docking processes.It also shows that the Stewart platform can effectively reduce the vibration and the movement range of the blade root and improve the stability and efficiency of blade docking.

Research on Reactive Power Optimization of Offshore Wind Farms Based on Improved Particle Swarm Optimization

The lack of reactive power in offshore wind farms will affect the voltage stability and power transmission quality of wind farms.To improve the voltage stability and reactive power economy of wind farms,the improved particle swarmoptimization is used to optimize the reactive power planning in wind farms.First,the power flow of offshore wind farms is modeled,analyzed and calculated.To improve the global search ability and local optimization ability of particle swarm optimization,the improved particle swarm optimization adopts the adaptive inertia weight and asynchronous learning factor.Taking the minimum active power loss of the offshore wind farms as the objective function,the installation location of the reactive power compensation device is compared according to the node voltage amplitude and the actual engineering needs.Finally,a reactive power optimizationmodel based on Static Var Compensator is established inMATLAB to consider the optimal compensation capacity,network loss,convergence speed and voltage amplitude enhancement effect of SVC.Comparing the compensation methods in several different locations,the compensation scheme with the best reactive power optimization effect is determined.Meanwhile,the optimization results of the standard particle swarm optimization and the improved particle swarm optimization are compared to verify the superiority of the proposed improved algorithm.

Towing characteristics of large-scale composite bucket foundation for offshore wind turbines

In order to study the towing dynamic properties of the large-scale composite bucket foundation the hydrodynamic software MOSES is used to simulate the dynamic motion of the foundation towed to the construction site.The MOSES model with the prototype size is established as the water draft of 5 and 6 m under the environmental conditions on site.The related factors such as towing force displacement towing accelerations in six degrees of freedom of the bucket foundation and air pressures inside the bucket are analyzed in detail.In addition the towing point and wave conditions are set as the critical factors to simulate the limit conditions of the stable dynamic characteristics.The results show that the large-scale composite bucket foundation with reasonable subdivisions inside the bucket has the satisfying floating stability.During the towing process the air pressures inside the bucket obviously change little and it is found that the towing point at the waterline is the most optimal choice.The characteristics of the foundation with the self-floating towing technique are competitive for saving lots of cost with few of the expensive types of equipment required during the towing transportation.

Analysis of offshore wind energy resources of China

With the economic development, the problems of energy shortage become increasingly severe. As offshore wind energy has advantages, namely it is clean, renewable, not accounting for land area, without noise pollution, with large reserves, etc., which gradually attracts people＇s attention. In this paper, China＇s offshore annual average wind field and monthly average wind field under the mean climate state conditions are obtained, and the corresponding wind density distribution is calculated. China＇s offshore wind energy reserves and distribution conditions through the analysis of wind energy density distribution are summarized, and finally some suggestions for coastal offshore wind energy development and utilization in China are put forward.

Caribbean Sea Offshore Wind Energy Assessment and Forecasting

The exploitation of wind energy is rapidly evolving and is manifested in the ever-expanding global network of offshore wind energy farms.For the Small Island Developing States of the Caribbean Sea(CS),harnessing this mature technology is an important first step in the transition away from fossil fuels.This paper uses buoy and satellite observations of surface wind speed in the CS to estimate wind energy resources over the 2009–201911-year period and initiates hour-ahead forecasting using the long short-term memory(LSTM)network.Observations of wind power density(WPD)at the 100-m height showed a mean of approximately 1000 W/m^(2) in the Colombia Basin,though this value decreases radially to 600–800 W/m^(2) in the central CS to a minimum of approximately 250 W/m^(2) at its borders in the Venezuela Basin.The Caribbean Low-Level Jet(CLLJ)is also responsible for the waxing and waning of surface wind speed and as such,resource stability,though stable as estimated through monthly and seasonal coefficients of variation,is naturally governed by CLLJ activity.Using a commercially available offshore wind turbine,wind energy generation at four locations in the CS is estimated.Electricity production is greatest and most stable in the central CS than at either its eastern or western borders.Wind speed forecasts are also found to be more accurate at this location,and though technology currently restricts offshore wind turbines to shallow water,outward migration to and colonization of deeper water is an attractive option for energy exploitation.

Review on Research about Wake Effects of Offshore Wind Turbines

In recent years,the construction of offshore wind farms is developing rapidly.As the wake effect of the upstream wind turbines seriously affect the performance of the downstream wind turbines,the wake effect of offshore wind turbines has become one of the research hotspots.First,this article reviews the research methods of wake effects,including CFD numerical simulation method,wind turbine wake model based on roughness and engineering wake models.However,there is no general model that can be used directly.Then it puts forward some factors that affect the wake of offshore wind turbines.The turbulence intensity in offshore wind fields is lower than that in onshore wind fields.This makes the wake recovery length of offshore wind turbines longer than that of onshore wind turbines.Floating offshore wind turbines are simultaneously disturbed by wind loads and wave loads.Unsteady movement of the platform caused by wave loads.It affects the development and changes of the wake of wind turbines.In this regard,the focus of research on the wake effects of offshore wind farms will be the proposal of accurate prediction models for the wake effects of sea wind farms.

Design and Evaluation Tool for Operations and Maintenance Logistics Concepts for Offshore Wind Power Plants

In this article, the authors give an overview of different logistics concepts for operation and maintenance of OWPP （offshore wind power plants）. These can be generally classified into onshore based and offshore based concepts. The operation of OWPPs can still be improved as research has shown that the availability of OWPPs is low compared to onshore wind power plants. There are a few tools to calculate operating costs and to evaluate the different concepts. However, most tools have a weak focus on logistics although logistics account for a big share of the costs. The tool the authors are introducing in this article focuses on the logistics processes. It is first explained and then tested with an OWPP scenarin

Bearing Capacity and Technical Advantages of Composite Bucket Foundation of Offshore Wind Turbines

Based on mechanical characteristics such as large vertical load, large horizontal load, large bending moment and complex geological conditions, a large scale composite bucket foundation （CBF） is put forward. Both the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are employed to study the bearing capacity of CBF and the relationship between loads and ground deformation. Furthermore, monopile, high-rise pile cap, tripod and CBF designs are compared to analyze the bearing capacity and ground deformation, with a 3-MW wind generator as an example. The resuits indicate that CBF can effectively bear horizontal load and large bending moment resulting from upper structures and environmental load.

Shaking table test and numerical analysis of offshore wind turbine tower systems controlled by TLCD

A wind turbine system equipped with a tuned liquid column damper （TLCD） is comprehensively studied via shaking table tests using a 1/13-scaled model. The effects of wind and wave actions are considered by inputting response- equivalent accelerations on the shaking table. The test results show that the control effect of the TLCD system is significant in reducing the responses under both wind-wave equivalent loads and ground motions, but obviously varies for different inputs, Further, a blade-hub-tower integrated numerical model for the wind turbine system is established. The model is capable of considering the rotational effect of blades by combining Kane＇s equation with the finite element method. The responses of the wind tower equipped with TLCD devices are numerically obtained and compared to the test results, showing that under both controlled and uncontrolled conditions with and without blades＇ rotation, the corresponding responses exhibit good agreement. This demonstrates that the proposed numerical model performs well in capturing the wind-wave coupled response of the offshore wind turbine systems under control. Both numerical and experimental results show that the TLCD system can significantly reduce the structural response and thus improve the safety and serviceability of the offshore wind turbine tower systems. Additional issues that require further study are discussed.