Electromagnetic fields (EMF) produced by high voltage (HV), submarine transmission cables leading from offshore wind energy generation facilities could affect foraging or migratory behaviors of electro-receptive fishes, including endangered Atlantic Sturgeon. However, no published studies have quantitatively evaluated the possible behavioral effects of EMF exposure on sturgeon during residence in coastal waters. This study evaluated behavioral responses by sub-adult Atlantic Sturgeon to electromagnetic and magnetic fields under controlled laboratory conditions. Fabricated EMF generators were used to emulate a range of field EMF conditions that migratory fishes could encounter in proximity to submarine HV sources. Sensor arrays and digital video recorders synoptically quantified EMF conditions and fish behaviors during experimental trials. This thesis will describe the unique, experimental EMF generator/sensor array, present results of the behavior study, and suggest implications of the findings for Atlantic Sturgeon management and conservation. 45 trials were conducted over the course of the study. Study fish were subjected to 3 different field strengths (5µT, 100 µT, 1000 µT), generated using both AC and DC current. Time spent in generated field area, number of passes through the field area, and swimming speed were used to quantify behavioral changes in test subjects. From the data collected and analyzed there was no evidence indicating a change in fish behavior due to the influence of field strengths, field orientations, or field types used during the study.

Dans le contexte actuel de transition énergétique, les acteurs de la production électrique (dont EDF) s'orientent de plus en plus vers les technologies "bas carbone", permettant de développer leur mix énergétique et d'assurer une production toujours plus respectueuse de l'environnement. Parmi l'ensemble des alternatives progressivement industrialisées au cours de ces dernières décennies, l'énergie éolienne voit son développement s'accélérer. De nouveaux projets voient le jour, notamment avec le développement de parcs éoliens posés en mer le long des côtes françaises.Afin de garantir une sécurité maximale des installations vis-à-vis des défaillances mécaniques, les ingénieurs doivent mettre en place un ensemble de vérifications ayant pour but d'assurer l'intégrité structurelle pendant une durée de vie donnée. Cette étape, nécessaire à la certification et donc à l'industrialisation du projet, exige un investissement numérique important. Dans le cas particulier de l'estimation de l'endommagement à durée de vie, un ensemble complet d'analyses doit être effectué afin de simuler les réactions structurelles en différents points de la conception et ce, pour l'ensemble des conditions environnementales de chargement possibles (cas de charge). Au total, quelques milliers de simulations correspondant à l'ensemble des situations probables sont à prévoir pour la seule estimation de l'endommagement à durée de vie. De plus, la prise en compte des différents phénomènes physiques du problème (aérodynamique, hydrodynamique, mécanique élastique), ainsi que la considération des non-linéarités des réponses liées à l'asservissement de la turbine, impliquent l'utilisation de codes de résolution temporels et multi-physiques coûteux pour chacune des situations de chargement à simuler.Afin de réduire l'investissement lié à l'estimation de cet endommagement, l'utilisation de méthodes numériques de substitution (également appelées métamodèles) est une alternative prometteuse. Ces méthodologies ont montré leur efficacité dans divers domaines de l'ingénierie permettant d'approcher, par diverses hypothèses statistiques, la réponse de modèles numériques en ne considérant qu'un nombre réduit de simulations.Ce travail de thèse s'est focalisé sur le développement d'outils numériques pour le dimensionnement efficace des structures éoliennes en mer et plus particulièrement sur l'utilisation des métamodèles de Krigeage (ou méthode de régression par processus gaussien) pour l'estimation de l'endommagement mécanique. Sous certaines hypothèses, cette méthode de substitution se prête particulièrement bien à l'approximation des réponses de modèles physiques, notamment grâce à la mise en place facilitée d'architectures itératives d'enrichissement ("active learning strategy"). Deux domaines ont principalement été étudiés : l'estimation rapide des quantités d'endommagement structurel par le développement de la méthode "Adaptive Kriging for Damage Assessment" (AK-DA) et les possibilités d'utilisation de cette dernière dans le cadre d'études de la fiabilité conceptuelle au regard de la tenue à l'endommagement. L'applicabilité de ces méthodes a été illustrée via l'utilisation d'exemples numériques inspirés du contexte industriel et de ses contraintes. / The mechanical certification of wind turbine structures is required for the funding of newoffshore projects on the French coasts. In order to ensure a maximal safety level of installations,a series of structural analyzes are required by the certification bodies. Amongst all, thedamage based computations represent an important numerical effort for EDF. The presentedworks focus on the applicability and the performances of Kriging metamodels for the estimationof the lifetime cumulated damage of offshore wind turbine structures (AK-DA approach)and the damage based reliability assessment of new designs (AK-MCS/AK-DA coupling).

The paper compares electricity production between the semi-submersible and the spar-buoy floating wind turbine systems under normal, stochastic and extreme wind conditions at Utsira Nord site located on the Norwegian continental shelf in the North Sea. The analysis of complex behavior of the floating wind turbine system and the fluid-structure interaction is performed in aero-servo-hydro-elastic code ASHES. The results indicate a slightly better energy performance of the semi-submersible than the spar in all load cases but one. The pitch and heave degrees of freedom are evaluated as the most relevant for the power output. It is shown that pitch and heave platform motions have smaller displacement in the semi-submersible floater than in the spar under average environmental conditions and at the rated wind speed operating range. The simulation also confirmed that the energy yield is very sensitive to the magnitude of the loads: the spar performed best under mild environmental conditions, while the semi-submersible was better under medium environmental conditions. Small difference in energy yield is attributed to the same baseline blade and external controller properties used for both floaters where generator torque was kept constant to limit the power excursions above the rated power. The method proposed under this paper has demonstrated that a good approximation of the energy performance of the floating wind turbine system can be performed in a fast and effective manner.

This thesis deals with the analysis of a permanent magnet synchronous generator suited for direct-drivenwind turbines inmegawatt class. The higher specific torque and power density of a transverse flux permanent magnet machine in comparison to conventional radial-flux machines make it a promising solution for direct-driven wind turbine generators. The novel transverse flux generator investigated in this work would allow a better utilization of the available nacelle space due to its more compact construction. The major part of the thesis deals with the finite element analysis and analytical calculations of transverse flux generators. The computations are performed for single units of the basic transverse flux topology (BTFM) and the one utilizing iron bridges (IBTFM). As the selection of the pole length in a transverse flux machine affects the pole-to-pole flux leakage and thus its performance, the topologies have been analyzed with respect to the varying dimensions in the direction of movement. The topologies utilizing IBTFM have been found to be superior to the BTFM with respect to the flux linkage (by 110%) and utilization of the magnets (by 84%). The machines with longest magnets gave the largest flux linkage, while machines with short magnets should be preferred for better magnet utilization. The four sets of dimensions have been selected for a dynamic finite element analysis. The power factor is evaluated for the topologies with the varying dimensions in the peripheral plane in static finite element analysis. The performance of the topologies with the best power factor in the studied range (0.62 in the BTFM and 0.57 in the IBTFM), as well as the topologies that give the highest power factor to magnet volume ratio, is compared with the dynamic simulations.The electromagnetic and cogging forces of the transverse-flux generator are estimated. The IBTFM is superior to the BTFM with respect to the force production, where the three-phase electromagnetic force is twice as large as in the BTFM. The force ripples of the three-phase electromagnetic force are found to be insignificant in both topologies. An analytical procedure based on the results from the finite element simulations is applied for evaluation of the transverse flux generators with different shapes and topologies. The effectiveness of each topology is investigated based on the estimation of the torque production in a certain nacelle volume. A toroidal generator with the iron-bridge topology is the most compact alternativefor a wind turbine as it has the highest torque-per-volume ratio. Furthermore, the analyticalmodel, including evaluation of the synchronous inductance, is developed and compared with the results obtained in the threedimensional finite element analysis. Themodel provides a good agreement for the studied set of dimensions. / QC 20101109

[Truncated abstract] The demand for offshore wind turbines is increasing in densely populated areas, such as Europe. These constructions are typically founded on a gravity foundation or a large 'mono pile'. Gravity foundations can only be used at locations where strong soils exist and water depths are limited. Costs associated with a 'mono pile' type foundation contribute to a very large percentage of the total investment costs. This research, therefore, focuses upon a different foundation for offshore wind turbines, namely suction caissons beneath a tripod. This foundation can be used in all kinds of soil types and is cheaper than the 'mono pile' foundation, both in the amount of steel used and installation costs. Cheaper foundations can contribute to a more competitive price for offshore wind energy in comparison with other energy resources. To date, there have been relatively few studies to investigate the behaviour of this type of foundation during the installation process and during operational and ultimate loading for seabed conditions comprising dense sand. Two types of investigations were performed during this research to determine the behaviour of suction caissons beneath a tripod. Firstly, an existing computer program was extended to predict the typical loading conditions for a tripod foundation. Secondly, centrifuge tests on small scale suction caissons were performed to investigate the behaviour during the installation and loading phases. The computer program developed helped to quantify the likely ranges of environmental loading on an offshore wind turbine. For a typical 3 MW wind turbine of 90 m height, the vertical load is low at around 7 MN. During storm conditions the horizontal hydrodynamic load can be in the order of 4 MN. During normal working conditions the horizontal aerodynamic loads can reach 0.4 MN, but can increase to 1.2 MN when the pitch system malfunctions and gusts reach 30 m/s. This aerodynamic load will result in a very large contribution to the overturning moment, due to the high action point of this load. When the wind turbine is placed on top of a tripod, these large moments are counteracted by a push-pull system. ... The development of differential pressure was found to depend on the soil permeability, the extraction speed and a consolidation effect. During cyclic loading no obvious signs of a decrease in resistance were observed. During very fast cyclic loading differential pressures developed, which could increase the drained frictional resistance by approximately 40%. All centrifuge tests results were used to develop methods to predict or back calculate the installation process of suction caissons in sand and layered soil, and the behaviour during tensile and cyclic loading. These methods all use the cone resistance as the main input parameter and predict the force (or required suction) as a function of time, for a given rate of pumping or uplift displacement, in addition to the variation of suction with penetration (or force with uplift displacement). These new methods provide a useful tool in designing a reliable foundation for offshore wind turbines consisting of a tripod arrangement of suction caissons embedded in dense sand.

A comparison between a traditional fixed high voltage direct current energy transmission system and a mobile transmission system utilizing vanadium redox flow batteries has been conducted in this degree work.  The purpose of this comparison was to evaluate if a mobile energy transmission system could be competitive in terms of energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness for use in offshore wind power applications. A literary study was made to fully grasp the various technologies and to create empirical ground of which cost estimation methods and energy calculations could be derived. A specific scenario was designed to compare the two transmission systems with the same conditions. To perform the comparison, a model was designed and simulated in MATLAB. The results from the model showed that the flow battery system fell behind in energy efficiency with a total energy loss of 33.3 % compared to the 11.7 % of the traditional system, future efficiency estimations landed it at a more competitive 17.5 %. The techno-economic results proved that a mobile flow battery system would be up to nine times more expensive in comparison to a traditional transmission system, with the best-case scenario resulting in it being roughly two times more expensive. The main cause of this was found out to be the expensive energy subsystem, specifically the electrolyte, used in the flow battery system. Several environmental risks arise when using a flow battery system with this electrolyte as well which could harm marine life severely. In conclusion; with further development and cost reductions, a case could be made for the advantages of a truly mobile energy transmission system. Specifically, in terms of the pure flexibility and mobility of the system, allowing it to circumvent certain complications. The mobility of the system gives the possibility of selling energy where the spot prices are at their highest, providing a higher revenue potential compared to a traditional fixed system. As for now though, it is simply too expensive to be a viable solution.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T13:53:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoPCM_DISSERT.pdf: 2393754 bytes, checksum: f95d47c17e14c0db5625ca5a0ae4656d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-01-21 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / Offshore wind power emits low amounts of gases, is renewable and has better performance than onshore due to its greater stability and higher wind power density, less visual and noise impact, among others. Brazil has a high capacity of generation, but has not yet developed any offshore projects. High costs are a strong impediment. This study is an effort towards pricing offshore resources through Livelized Cost of Energy - LCOE, which represents the minimum return to cover the costs of development, production and maintenance of a wind project. Initially LCOE was calculated for all Brazilian onshore wind farms listed at Bloomberg New Energy Finance R?, accounting for 71 farms. Then hypothetical offshore wind farms were created from the onshore farms, tripling the cost of generation, which is consistent with the literature, and estimating the offshore energy for two locations off the Brazilian coast using satellite data extracted from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The results demonstrate that offshore resources have the potential to significantly reduce the energy price due to the better performance of the wind at sea / A fonte de energia e?lica offshore emite baixas quantidades de gases causadores do efeito estufa, ? renov?vel e apresenta melhor desempenho do que a fonte onshore em quesitos como maior estabilidade e densidade de pot?ncia dos ventos, menor impacto visual e sonoro, dentre outros. O Brasil possui uma capacidade de gera??o offshore substancialmente elevada, mas ainda n?o desenvolveu nenhum projeto nessa modalidade. Os custos elevados s?o um forte empecilho. Esse estudo ? um esfor?o em dire??o ? explora??o desse campo, precificando a fonte offshore atrav?s do Livelized Cost of Energy LCOE, que representa o retorno m?nimo para cobrir os custos de desenvolvimento, produ??o e manuten??o de um projeto e?lico. O LCOE foi primeiramente calculado para todos os parques e?licos onshore brasileiros listados no Bloomberg New Energy Finance R?, contabilizando 71 parques. Em seguida foram criados parques e?licos offshore hipot?ticos a partir dos parques onshore, triplicando os custos de gera??o, o que est? em conformidade com a literatura especializada, e estimando-se a energia offshore para dois pontos da costa brasileira atrav?s de dados de sat?lite extra?dos do National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Os resultados demonstram que a fonte offshore tem o potencial de reduzir significativamente o pre?o da energia devido ? melhor performance do vento no mar

Reef habitats built by the tubiculous polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa have been identified as a habitat with significant conservation importance, based on their historic decline across Europe and the assumption that, like many other biogenic reef systems, S. spinulosa reefs enhance biodiversity. Despite the high conservation status of this habitat very little work has been undertaken to explore the role that S. spinulosa reefs play in marine ecosystems, or their sensitivity to anthropogenic disturbance. Observations of the reproductive ecology and population dynamics of the reef building organism indicate that S. spinulosa exhibit life-history traits typically associated with r-strategists, indicating that this species is likely to have the ability to recover quickly following most anthropogenic disturbance events. A series of surveys on S. spinulosa reefs identified at the Thanet Offshore Wind Farm site, where the extent of the reef habitat was found to have increased between the pre-construction and post construction survey despite extensive cable laying and turbine installation, corroborates these findings. Detailed investigations into the macrofauna associated with S. spinulosa reefs in the eastern English Channel revealed that S. spinulosa reefs support macrofaunal communities that are comparable to those associated with adjacent muddy sandy gravel and gravelly muddy sand in terms of species composition, taxonomic breadth and beta-diversity. A consistent enhancement in species richness, abundance and biomass was identified in samples collected from S. spinulosa reefs when compared with adjacent sedimentary deposits, as well as a corresponding reduction in the equitability of species, indicating that some macrofauna are able to exist in higher densities within this habitat. The increase in macrofaunal biomass associated with S. spinulosa reefs was found to influence the diet of demersal fish species, with some species feeding on the reef organism itself while others feed on species found in high densities on the reefs. The high abundance of juvenile flatfish associated with this habitat also suggests that S. spinulosa reefs may provide an important nursery habitat.

This master thesis deals with study of properties pick-up generators for wind power. First part of thesis studies wind turbines, its structure, generators and describes advantages and disadvantages of ashore and offshore location. The next part presents description of parts of sliding contact. The main part assesses the impact of sea environment on sliding contact in generators at offshore wind turbines.

No description available.