Influence of Surface Ice Roughness on the Aerodynamic Performance of Wind Turbines

The focus of this research was on the equivalent particle roughness height correction required to account for the presence of ice when determining the performances of wind turbines.In particular,two icing processes(frost ice and clear ice)were examined by combining the FENSAP-ICE and FLUENT analysis tools.The ice type on the blade surfaces was predicted by using a multi-time step method.Accordingly,the influence of variations in icing shape and ice surface roughness on the aerodynamic performance of blades during frost ice formation or clear ice formation was investigated.The results indicate that differences in blade surface roughness and heat flux lead to disparities in both ice formation rate and shape between frost ice and clear ice.Clear ice has a greater impact on aerodynamics compared to frost ice,while frost ice is significantly influenced by the roughness of its icy surface.

Study on the Relationship between Structural Aspects and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Archimedes Spiral Wind Turbines

A combined experimental and numerical research study is conducted to investigate the complex relationship between the structure and the aerodynamic performances of an Archimedes spiral wind turbine(ASWT).Two ASWTs are considered,a prototypical version and an improved version.It is shown that the latter achieves the best aerodynamic performance when the spread angles at the three sets of blades areα_(1)=30°,α_(2)=55°,α3=60°,respectively and the blade thickness is 4 mm.For a velocity V=10 m/s,a tip speed ratio(TSR)=1.58 and 2,the maximum CP values are 0.223 and 0.263 for the prototypical ASWT and improved ASWT,respectively,and the maximum C_(P) enhancement is 17.93%.For V=10 m/s and TSR=2,the CP values of the prototypical ASWT and improved ASWT are 0.225 and 0.263,respectively,with an aerodynamic performance enhancement of 16.88%.Through mutual verification of the test outcomes and numerical results,it is concluded that the proposed approach can effectively lead to aerodynamic performance improvement.

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.

Centrifuge tests for seismic response of single pile foundation supported wind turbines in sand influenced by earthquake history

This paper reports on two sets of centrifuge model tests of wind turbines in dry sand and saturated sand subjected to earthquake sequences.The wind turbine system is composed of a single pile foundation and a wind turbine.All tests were applied with liquefaction experiments and analysis projects(LEAP)waves to simplify the analysis.The objectives of the tests are to investigate:(1)the influence of earthquake history on the seismic response of wind turbines;(2)the influence of earthquake history on the dynamic pile-soil interaction;and(3)the influence of two different foundation types on the seismic response of wind turbines.The tests indicated that earthquake history has a significant influence on the natural frequency of the pile and the soil around the pile in the saturated sand,but has no obvious influence on the dry sand.The shear modulus of the soil and the acceleration amplification factor of the pile top in both tests increased and the maximum bending moment envelope of the single pile foundation shrunk.The stiffness of the p-y curve in saturated sand was increased by the earthquake history,while that in dry sand was not significantly affected.

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.

Application of SABO-VMD-KELM in Fault Diagnosis of Wind Turbines

In order to improve the accuracy of wind turbine fault diagnosis,a wind turbine fault diagnosis method based on Subtraction-Average-Based Optimizer(SABO)optimized Variational Mode Decomposition(VMD)and Kernel Extreme Learning Machine(KELM)is proposed.Firstly,the SABO algorithm was used to optimize the VMD parameters and decompose the original signal to obtain the best modal components,and then the nine features were calculated to obtain the feature vectors.Secondly,the SABO algorithm was used to optimize the KELM parameters,and the training set and the test set were divided according to different proportions.The results were compared with the optimized model without SABO algorithm.The experimental results show that the fault diagnosis method of wind turbine based on SABO-VMD-KELM model can achieve fault diagnosis quickly and effectively,and has higher accuracy.

A computational platform for considering the effects of aerodynamic and seismic load combination for utility scale horizontal axis wind turbines

The wide deployment of wind turbines in locations with high seismic hazard has led engineers to take into account a more comprehensive seismic design of such structures. Turbine specific guidelines usually use simplified methods and consider many assumptions to combine seismic demand with the other operational loads effecting the design of these structures. As the turbines increase in size and capacity, the interaction between seismic loads and aerodynamic loads becomes even more important. In response to the need for a computational tool that can perform coupled simulations of wind and seismic loads, a seismic module is developed for the FAST code and described in this research. This platform allows engineers working in this industry to directly consider interaction between seismic and other environmental loads for turbines. This paper details the practical application and theory of this platform and provides examples for the use of different capabilities. The platform is then used to show the suitable earthquake and operational load combination with the implicit consideration of aerodynamic damping by estimating appropriate load factors.

Intelligent control for large-scale variable speed variable pitch wind turbines

Large-scale wind turbine generator systems have strong nonlinear multivariable characteristics with many uncertain factors and disturbances. Automatic control is crucial for the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines. On the basis of simplified and proper model of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines, the effective wind speed is estimated using extended Kaiman filter. Intelligent control schemes proposed in the paper include two loops which operate in synchronism with each other. At below-rated wind speed, the inner loop adopts adaptive fuzzy control based on variable universe for generator torque regulation to realize maximum wind energy capture. At above-rated wind speed, a controller based on least square support vector machine is proposed to adjust pitch angle and keep rated output power. The simulation shows the effectiveness of the intelligent control.

Experimental Investigation of Local Scour Around A New Pile-Group Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines in Bi-Directional Current

The local scour around a new pile-group foundation of offshore wind turbine subjected to a bi-directional current was physically modeled with a bi-directional flow flume. In a series of experiments, the flow velocity and topography of the seabed were measured based on a system composed of plane positioning equipment and an ADV.Experimental results indicate that the development of the scour hole was fast at the beginning, but then the scour rate decreased until reaching equilibrium. Erosion would occur around each pile of the foundation. In most cases, the scour pits were connected in pairs and the outside widths of the scour holes were larger than the inner widths. The maximum scour depth occurred at the side pile of the foundation for each test. In addition, a preliminary investigation shows that the larger the flow velocity, the larger the scour hole dimensions but the shorter equilibrium time. The field maximum scour depth around the foundation was obtained based on the physical experiments with the geometric length scales of 1:27.0, 1:42.5 and 1:68.0, and it agrees with the scour depth estimated by the HEC-18 equation.

Decoupling Adaptive Sliding Mode Observer Design for Wind Turbines Subject to Simultaneous Faults in Sensors and Actuators

This paper proposes an adaptive sliding mode observer(ASMO)-based approach for wind turbines subject to simultaneous faults in sensors and actuators.The proposed approach enables the simultaneous detection of actuator and sensor faults without the need for any redundant hardware components.Additionally,wind speed variations are considered as unknown disturbances,thus eliminating the need for accurate measurement or estimation.The proposed ASMO enables the accurate estimation and reconstruction of the descriptor states and disturbances.The proposed design implements the principle of separation to enable the use of the nominal controller during faulty conditions.Fault tolerance is achieved by implementing a signal correction scheme to recover the nominal behavior.The performance of the proposed approach is validated using a 4.8 MW wind turbine benchmark model subject to various faults.Monte-Carlo analysis is also carried out to further evaluate the reliability and robustness of the proposed approach in the presence of measurement errors.Simplicity,ease of implementation and the decoupling property are among the positive features of the proposed approach.

Assessment of natural frequency of installed offshore wind turbines using nonlinear finite element model considering soil-monopile interaction

A nonlinear finite element model is developed to examine the lateral behaviors of monopiles, which support offshore wind turbines(OWTs) chosen from five different offshore wind farms in Europe. The simulation is using this model to accurately estimate the natural frequency of these slender structures, as a function of the interaction of the foundations with the subsoil. After a brief introduction to the wind power energy as a reliable alternative in comparison to fossil fuel, the paper focuses on concept of natural frequency as a primary indicator in designing the foundations of OWTs. Then the range of natural frequencies is provided for a safe design purpose. Next, an analytical expression of an OWT natural frequency is presented as a function of soil-monopile interaction through monopile head springs characterized by lateral stiffness KL, rotational stiffness KRand cross-coupling stiffness KLRof which the differences are discussed. The nonlinear pseudo three-dimensional finite element vertical slices model has been used to analyze the lateral behaviors of monopiles supporting the OWTs of different wind farm sites considered. Through the monopiles head movements(displacements and rotations), the values of KL, KRand KLRwere obtained and substituted in the analytical expression of natural frequency for comparison. The comparison results between computed and measured natural frequencies showed an excellent agreement for most cases. This confirms the convenience of the finite element model used for the accurate estimation of the monopile head stiffness.

A Sliding Mode Approach to Enhance the Power Quality of Wind Turbines Under Unbalanced Voltage Conditions

An integral terminal sliding mode-based control design is proposed in this paper to enhance the power quality of wind turbines under unbalanced voltage conditions. The design combines the robustness, fast response, and high quality transient characteristics of the integral terminal sliding mode control with the estimation properties of disturbance observers. The controller gains were auto-tuned using a fuzzy logic approach.The effectiveness of the proposed design was assessed under deep voltage sag conditions and parameter variations. Its dynamic response was also compared to that of a standard SMC approach.The performance analysis and simulation results confirmed the ability of the proposed approach to maintain the active power,currents, DC-link voltage and electromagnetic torque within their acceptable ranges even under the most severe unbalanced voltage conditions. It was also shown to be robust to uncertainties and parameter variations, while effectively mitigating chattering in comparison with the standard SMC.

PREDICTION OF THE AERODYNAMIC PERFORMANCE OF HORIZONTAL AXIS WIND TURBINES IN CONDITION OF UNIFORM WIND

The classical momentum-blade element theory is improved by using the empirical formula while part of rotor blades enters into the turbulent wake state, and the performance of a horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) at all speed ratios can be predicted. By using an improved version of the so-called secant method, the convergent solutions of the system of two-dimensional equations concerning the induced velocity factors a and a' are guaranteed. Besides, a solving method of multiple solutions for a and a' is proposed and discussed. The method provided in this paper can be used for computing the aerodynamic performance of HAWTs both ofrlow solidity and of high solidity. The calculated results coincide well with the experimental data.

Asymptotic Tracking Control for Wind Turbines in Variable Speed Mode

This paper presents a variable speed control strategy for wind turbines in order to capture maximum wind power.Wind turbines are modeled as a two-mass drive-train system with generator torque control.Based on the obtained wind turbine model,variable speed control schemes are developed.Nonlinear tracking controllers are designed to achieve asymptotic tracking for a prescribed rotor speed reference signal so as to yield maximum wind power capture.Due to the difficulty of torsional angle measurement,an observer-based control scheme that uses only rotor speed information is further developed for global asymptotic output tracking.The effectiveness of the proposed control methods is illustrated by simulation results.

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.

SVM-Algorithm for Supervision, Monitoring and Detection Vibration in Wind Turbines

With the implementation of supervised machine learning techniques, wind turbine maintenance has been transformed. A wind turbine’s electrical and mechanical components can be automatically identified, monitored, and detected to predict, detect, and anticipate their degeneration using this method of automatic and autonomous learning. Two different failure states are simulated due to bearing vibrations and compared with machine learning classifier and frequency analysis. A wind turbine can be monitored, monitored, and faulted efficiently by implementing SVM. With these technologies, downtime can be reduced, breakdowns can be anticipated, and aspects can be imported if they are offshore.

Current Status and Future Trends for Mooring Systems of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

With the increasing demand of energy and the limitation of bottom-fixed wind turbines in moderate and deep waters,floating offshore wind turbines are doomed to be the right technical choice and they are bound to enter a new era of rapid development.The mooring system is a vital system of a floating wind turbine for station-keeping under harsh environmental con­ditions.In terms of existing floating wind turbine projects,this paper is devoted to discussing the current status of mooring systems and mooring equipment.This paper also presents the mooring analysis methods and points out the technical difficulties and challenges in mooring design,in­stallation,operation and maintenance stages.Finally,the developing trends of the mooring system are summarized,aiming to provide a reference for future mooring research.

Effect of Yaw Angle on Large Scale Three-blade Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines

Offshore Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines(HAWT)are used globally as a source of clean and renewable energy.Turbine efficiency can be improved by optimizing the geometry of the turbine blades.Turbines are generally designed in a way that its orientation is adjustable to ensure the wind direction is aligned with the axis of the turbine shaft.The deflection angle from this position is defined as yaw angle of the turbine.Understanding the effects of the yaw angle on the wind turbine performance is important for the turbine safety and performance analysis.In this study,performance of a yawed HAWT is studied by computational fluid dynamics.The wind flow around the turbine is simulated by solving the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations using software ANSYS Fluent.The principal aim of this study is to quantify the yaw angle on the efficiency of the turbine and to check the accuracy of existing empirical formula.A three-bladed 100-m diameter prototype HAWT was analysed through comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD)simulations.The turbine efficiency reaches its maximum value of 33.9%at 0°yaw angle and decreases with the increase of yaw angle.It was proved that the cosine law can estimate the turbine efficiency with a yaw angle with an error less 10%when the yaw angle is between-30°and 30°.The relative error of the cosine law increase at larger yaw angles because of the power is reduced significantly.

Contribution of tuned liquid column gas dampers to the performance of offshore wind turbines under wind, wave, and seismic excitations

The main intention of the present study is to reduce wind, wave, and seismic induced vibrations of jacket- type offshore wind turbines （JOWTs） through a newly developed vibration absorber, called tuned liquid column gas damper （TLCGD）. Using a Simulink-based model, an analytical model is developed to simulate global behavior of JOWTs under different dynamic excitations. The study is followed by a parametric study to explore efficiency of the TLCGD in terms of nacelle acceleration reduction under wind, wave, and earthquake loads. Study results indicate that optimum frequency of the TLCGD is rather insensitive to excitation type. In addition, while the gain in vibration control from TLCGDs with higher mass ratios is generally more pronounced, heavy TLCGDs are more sensitive to their tuned frequency such that ill-regulated TLCGD with high mass ratio can lead to destructive results. It is revealed that a well regulated TLCGD has noticeable contribution to the dynamic response of the JOWT under any excitation.