Experimental Study on Towing Characteristics of Composite Bucket Wellhead Platform

With the rapid development of large-scale development of marginal oilfields in China,simple wellhead platforms that are simple in structure and easy to install have become an inevitable choice in the process of oilfield development.However,traditional simple wellhead platforms are often discarded after a single use.In pursuit of a more costeffective approach to developing marginal oilfields,this paper proposes a new offshore oil field development facility—an integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform.To verify the safety of its towing behavior and obtain the dynamic response characteristics of the structure,this paper takes a bucket integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform with a diameter of 40 m as the research object.By combining physical model tests and numerical simulations,it analyzes the static stability and dynamic response characteristics of the structure during towing,complete with the effects of the draft,wave height,wave period,and towing point height,which produce the dynamic responses of the structure under different influence factors,such as roll angle,pitch angle,heave acceleration and towing force as well as the sensibility to transport variables.The results show that the integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform is capable of self-floating towing,and its movement is affected by the local environment,which will provide a reference for actual projects.

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.

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.

Failure Envelopes of Wide-Shallow Composite Bucket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines in Silty Sand

The wide-shallow composite bucket foundation(WSCBF) is a new type of offshore wind power foundation that can be built on land and rapidly installed offshore, there by effectively reducing the construction time and costs of offshore wind power foundation. In this study, the horizontal bearing capacity is calculated by finite element simulation and compared with test results to verify the validity of results. In this process, the vertical load and bending load are respectively calculated by the finite element simulation. Under the vertical load effect, the bucket foundation and the soil inside are regarded as a whole, and the corresponding buckling failure mode is obtained. The ultimate vertical bearing capacity is calculated using empirical and theoretical formulas; the theoretical formula is also revised by finite element results. Under bending load, the rotational center of the composite bucket foundation(in a region close to the bucket bottom) gradually moves from the left of the central axis(reverse to loading direction) to the nearby compartment boards along the loading direction. The H–M envelope line shows a linear relationship, and it is determined that the vertical and bending ultimate bearing capacities can be improved by an appropriate vertical load.

Study on Seepage Characteristics of Composite Bucket Foundation Under Eccentric Load

Under the effect of eccentric loads,when the suction pressure of the composite bucket foundation is leveled,the seepage failure is very easy to occur.The seepage failure occurrence causes the foundation to settle unevenly and impairs the bearing performance.This study uses ABAQUS finite element software to establish a composite bucket foundation model for finite element analysis.The model simulates the seepage of the foundation penetrating process under eccentric load to reveal the induced seepage characteristics of the bucket foundation.The most vulnerable position of seepage failure under the eccentric loading is elucidated.Critical suction formulas for different offset eccentric moment strategies are derived and compared with existing literature formulas.Then the derived formula is supplemented and corrected according to the pressure difference between adjacent cabins.Conclusions can be drawn:(1)Under eccentric loads,the critical suction decreases about 7%−10%.(2)The pressure difference between adjacent cabins impacts significantly on the seepage field,and the critical suction,at most,can be reduced by 17.56%.(3)the offset strategies have little effect on the seepage field.Efficient and appropriate strategies can be selected to meet the requirement of leveling in engineering project.

Integrated Towing Transportation Technique for Offshore Wind Turbine with Composite Bucket Foundation

Composite bucket foundation and one-step installation technology for offshore wind turbine are the integration of foundation construction,transportation and whole installation at sea.The cost of offshore wind turbine construction and installation has been largely reduced.Foundation stability is the key technology in the process of towing transportation.Field observation data can reflect the real state of the foundation.In this paper,the influence of water depth and towing speed on liquid level,the compartment pressure,and the pitch angles during towing of composite bucket foundation are studied.These data are analyzed based on the field measurements data from a 3.3 MW offshore wind power project in China.The results show that with varied water depths and towing speeds,the compartment pressure changes are small during the bucket foundation towing process.The offshore wind turbine composite bucket foundation is stable while being towed in the ocean.

Experimental Investigation of Wave Load and Run-up on the Composite Bucket Foundation Influenced by Regular Waves

In the design of wind turbine foundations for offshore wind farms, the wave load and run-up slamming on the supporting structure are the quantities that need to be considered. Because of a special arc transition, the interaction between the wave field and the composite bucket foundation(CBF) becomes complicated. In this study, the hydrodynamic characteristics, including wave pressure, load, upwelling, and run-up, around the arc transition of a CBF influenced by regular waves are investigated through physical tests at Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Ocean University of China. The distributions of the wave pressures and upwelling ratios around the CBF are described, and the relationship between the wave load and the wave parameters is discussed. New formulae based on the velocity stagnation head theory with linear wave theory and the second-order Stokes wave theory for wave kinematics are proposed to estimate the wave run-up. Moreover, the multiple regression method with nonlinear technology is employed to deduce an empirical formula for predicting run-up heights. Results show that the non-dimensional wave load increases with the increase in the values of the wave scattering parameter and relative wave height. The wave upwelling height is high in front of the CBF and has the lowest value at an angle of 135? with the incoming wave direction. The performance of the new formulae proposed in this study is compared using statistical indices to demonstrate that a good fit is obtained by the multiple regression method and the analytical model based on the velocity stagnation head theory is underdeveloped.

Load Transferring Mechanism on Transition Section of Composite Bucket Foundation for Offshore Wind Turbines

The composite bucket foundation (CBF) is a new kind of foundation which has been applied in the offshore wind industry. A reasonable connection pattern between the tower and the CBF top cover is crucial for load transmissions from the superstructure. Therefore, it is essential to choose an optimum structure type for the transition section. The line type and the arc transition section models were established by ABAQUS, and the internal forces of cross section were extracted along the height direction. Specifically, the force transfer mechanism for different types of the transition sections was investigated comparatively with monotonic as well as composite loadings. The results show that the curved transition structure exhibits the better mechanical characteristics under the monotonic and composite loadings, and the reason can be illustrated that its specific arc-shape structure can effectively convert the tremendous bending moment from the turbine tower into the limited tensile and compressive stresses downwards, without the occurrence of force concentration. © 2017, Tianjin University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Penetration Resistance of Composite Bucket Foundation with Eccentric Load for Offshore Wind Turbines

The penetration of the composite bucket foundation(CBF)is crucial in its construction process.In actual projects,the foundation is inevitably subjected to eccentric load caused by towers and turbines,as well as wind,wave,and flow,during the one-step installation.Moreover,the eccentric load is bound to affect the penetration method and penetration resistance of the foundation.To examine the above-mentioned issues,the penetration resistance of CBF with eccentric load was calculated and analyzed based on model tests,and the seepage field of the CBF under eccentric load was analyzed using ABAQUS.The influence of different magnitudes of eccentric load and various offset strategies on penetration resistance was analyzed,and the theoretical and measured values were compared.The result indicated that the negative pressure of the offset room was found to be smaller than that of other rooms when the CBF penetrated the soil under eccentric load.The penetration resistance of CBF under eccentric load was larger than that without eccentricity,and the larger the eccentric load is,the greater the penetration resistance.The influence of different eccentric load offset strategies on penetration resistance was found to be negligible.The calculated penetration resistance under eccentric load was in good agreement with the measured value.

上砂下黏地层中桩-筒复合基础V-H承载特性

海上风机基础不仅受自重等竖向力V作用,也因水流、波浪和风等影响而承受水平荷载H。为探讨上砂下黏地层中一种由单桩和吸力筒组成的新型海上风机桩-筒复合基础受V-H组合作用时的承载特性,自主设计完成了一系列室内桩-筒复合基础V-H组合加载模型试验,获得不同组合参数下桩-筒复合基础的荷载-位移曲线和桩身弯矩分布曲线,并绘制出V-H承载力包络线。在此基础上,采用ABAQUS建立了上砂下黏地层中桩-筒复合基础三维数值分析模型,经模型验证与参数分析,进一步讨论了砂土厚度、筒径、筒高以及加载高度等参数对桩-筒复合基础承载特性的影响曲线,并拟合出桩-筒复合基础承载力简化计算公式,分析结果表明:桩-筒复合基础能显著提高桩身水平承载力,增幅达30%~90%,且增加筒径比增加筒高更有利于提高基础水平承载力;上部砂土层较厚时,桩-筒复合基础存在一个使复合基础水平承载力达到最大的预加竖向荷载最佳值,其值随不同载荷工况在(0.4~0.7)Vult范围内变化。

黏土中海上风力机桩-筒复合基础地震响应分析

参考NREL海上风力机结构参数,基于ABAQUS软件平台,建立黏土中海上风力机桩-筒复合基础的三维整体有限元模型;采用总应力形式的非线性运动硬化模型描述黏土的不排水动应力应变响应,通过编制Matlab程序实现随机风荷载及波浪荷载的模拟;开展地震及风、浪、流荷载共同作用下海上风力机桩-筒复合基础的时域整体动力响应分析,揭示桩-筒复合基础的承载机理,分析地震烈度、土体强度及基础尺寸对桩-筒复合基础动力响应的影响规律。

海上风电单柱复合筒型基础拖航性能研究

单柱复合筒型基础结合了单桩基础与筒型基础的优点,能有效缩短施工期、降低成本且对环境友好。拖航是单柱复合筒型基础可重复利用、便于运输和安装的关键技术,需对拖航性能进行深入研究,为实际拖航过程提供技术指导。使用MOSES软件建立单柱复合筒型基础水动力模型,对单柱复合筒型基础的拖航过程进行数值模拟。计算结果表明,单柱复合筒型基础拖航性能较好,其运动响应受波浪和浮运条件影响显著,应避免横浪和大浪,且不宜在波浪周期接近基础固有周期时段拖航;通过调整系缆点高度、吃水深度及拖航速度可提升结构拖航稳性。

海上风电单柱复合筒型基础复合加载条件下的承载特性

为研究新型海上风电单柱复合筒型基础在二维复合加载条件下的承载特性,利用有限元模型计算,首先得到模型在一维荷载空间下的极限承载力,随后通过施加不同的竖向荷载,得到在V-H、V-M、V-H-M荷载空间下的承载能力包络图,并分析不同二维荷载工况下的单柱复合筒型基础各位置处的土压力分布情况以及筒体底部等效塑性应变区的变化情况。结果表明:对于单柱复合筒型基础,在一定范围内,竖向荷载(0~0.15倍竖向极限承载力)的存在能够增大结构的水平及弯矩承载力;在V-H与V-M荷载空间中,基础各位置处的土压力变化、土体等效塑性应变变化具有一定的相似性,可互相对映参考;基础所承受的最大土压力位置与基础受力倾倒方向一致;随着竖向荷载的增加,结构达到极限承载力时,基础底部土体等效塑性应变区的范围与深度相应扩大。

Wave force on composite bucket foundation of an offshore wind turbine

A new analytical expression for calculating the wave force on a composite bucket foundation is obtained. Based on the diffraction theory, the analytical solution of the wave pressure and the wave force on the composite bucket foundation is accurately derived by assigning reasonable boundary conditions. Experiments for the wave pressure on the bucket foundation with a scale of 1：60 under different wave conditions in the wave flume are designed and conducted. The analytical results agree well with the experimental data, and the theoretical approach can accurately predict the wave force on the large-scale structures. The wave pressure distribution on the composite bucket foundation is presented and the influence of the wave height, the water depth and the wave period on the wave force on the composite bucket foundation is investigated. This study provides a quite accurate method to calculate the wave force on a composite bucket foundation, which gives a good framework for future studies of the wave force on other large-scale structures with complex boundaries.

Wave effects on the anti-liquefaction of the seabed around composite bucket foundation of offshore wind turbines

By using the open-source software OpenFOAM and the grid generation tool the integrated computer engineering and manufacturing code for computational fluid dynamics(ICEM CFD),a computational fluid dynamics-computational structural dynamics(CFD-CSD)coupling model is established.The dynamic response and the liquefaction of the seabed around the composite bucket foundation of the offshore wind turbines in the Xiangshui area of Jiangsu Province are investigated.The pore water pressure,the effective stress,the liquefaction depth and the anti-liquefaction effect of the overlying stones are analyzed.It is shown that the seabed around the composite bucket foundation will be liquefied under 50 year return waves,the liquefaction width is approximately 1/3 of the wavelength,and the maximum liquefaction depth is approximately 1/4 of the wave height.In addition,the overlying stones provide an effective anti-liquefaction method.Thicker,less porous overlying stones have a better anti-liquefaction effect.

海上风电单柱复合筒型基础拖航浮运特性分析

为保证单柱复合筒型基础拖航安全性,针对实际工程中单柱复合筒型基础制作比尺模型,采用模型试验的方法,对单柱复合筒型基础浮运特性展开研究,分析不同拖航方式对结构的拖航特性的影响,旨在为实际工程提供指导性建议。研究结果表明:在实际拖航中,要合理的选择拖揽点的位置和吃水深度,避免结构出现艏倾现象,在保证安全拖航的前提下可适当增吃水深度增加结构的拖航稳性。

海上风电单柱复合筒基础屈曲特性研究

为加深海上风电单柱复合筒基础屈曲特性研究,本文以海上风电单柱复合筒基础屈曲特性为研究对象,使用ABAQUS建立海上风电单柱复合筒基础结构,通过使用线性屈曲计算方法,对3种模型在不同下沉深度及径高比下的屈曲特征值及屈曲变形分布形态变化进行分析,并考虑初始缺陷,采用非线性屈曲计算的方法对实际工程中的结构屈曲值进行了计算,为工程设计提供参考。结果表明:下沉深度、径高比、初始缺陷对海上风电单柱复合筒基础周向屈曲负压值有着不同程度的影响,在径高比较大时,屈曲受初始缺陷影响较小,结构的屈曲应力值会随着下沉深度的增加而增大。同时对美国海军试验水槽计算公式进行了修正,得到适用于预测不同下沉深度时结构的周向屈曲值的拟合公式。

桩桶复合结构在海上风电工程的应用与创新

桩桶复合基础是一种新型的单桩基础与桶体基础相结合的海上风电基础结构,结合项目对其施工工艺与质量控制进行了研究和应用。单桩基础采用稳桩工艺进行施打,桶型基础结构先通过船吊套装在打设完毕的单桩基础上,通过自重下沉和抽负压下沉到位,采用水下灌浆工艺将单桩基础与桶型基础连接成整体。施工质量的关键是桶体基础安装的方位角和偏斜度控制、桶型基础与单桩基础之间灌浆部位的淤泥清除、桩桶间隙灌浆区的顶封板设计和安装。该施工技术和质量控制方法在浙江台州1号海上风电项目得到了成功应用,其具有施工成本低、效率高的特点。

海上风电三筒导管架基础复合加载模式下承载特性分析

为了研究海上风电三筒导管架基础在海洋土中的承载性能,文章对其在复合加载模式下的破坏包络线进行了探究,绘制了两种不同长径比三筒导管架基础的三维承载能力包络面,对比了极限工况下两种基础法兰及导管架处的倾斜率。结果表明:一定范围内的竖向荷载提高了基础的水平及弯矩极限承载力;三吸力筒式导管架基础的承载性能要略优于三吸力桩式导管架基础,且两者在不同荷载作用下的承载模式略有不同。总体而言,基础直径较大、筒高较小的三吸力筒导管架基础的承载性能要更强。

海上风机群桩筒基础的力学性能分析

基于ABAQUS有限元软件平台建立了海上风机群桩筒基础的有限元模型,对不同桩数、桩径及不同桩分布方式下群桩筒基础的力学性能进行研究,结果表明:不同基础形式的应力均集中于上部结构与筒体结构的连接处,桩身的应力集中于桩顶位置;筒体结构被动区的应力显著高于主动区的应力;群桩筒基础与土体的接触面积比筒型基础更大,提供了更好的转角控制效果。群桩筒基础提升了基础与地基土之间的协同度,有效地提高了群桩筒基础的承载能力。