Reliability of wind turbine components and maintenance optimisation are among the critical aspects of wind power development closely related to profitability and future development. The main reason for research in these areas is lowering the cost of energy production for wind power, specifically important in offshore environment. Continuous monitoring of specific wind turbine components can be valuable for wind farm operators and, subsequently, wind farm owners.  Also, health assessment of critical components can be useful in estimating the possibilities for life extension of wind turbines. Expensive Condition Monitoring Systems (CMSs) are not always available, particularly in older wind farms, and additionally installing CMSs on wind turbines is not always economically feasible. However, most of modern wind turbines are equipped with the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system which is recording 10-minute average values of parameters that depict operation of the turbine. That being said, SCADA data contains a vast amount of information that can be used for analysis of wind turbine components health. Therefore, this project will present an application of previously published methodology for SCADA data condition monitoring on real wind farm data. The goal of this project is to investigate on the possibilities of the SCADA monitoring methodology and what can be the added value of the application for wind farm operators, owners and other stakeholders. The methodology for condition monitoring through SCADA data was applied on real data gathered from two wind farms in Germany and one in the Netherlands. During the project the methodology had to be modified in order to ensure the best possible industrial application. Results of the project showed that the SCADA data condition monitoring approach is not capable of predicting failures. However, the technique has been proven successful for detecting the changes of trends in dependencies of working parameters, specifically monitoring parameters related to the turbine generators. Continuously monitoring the dependencies of working parameters can be used as an additional source of information for maintenance scheduling and assessment of components health. The approach presented in this paper can be valuable to asset managers and wind farm owners.

The installed capacity of offshore wind turbines in Europe is increasing with the monopile being the most common type of foundation. During its lifetime an offshore wind turbine is exposed to high dynamic loads which eventually can result in the fatigue of the substructure. This thesis will show how the linear damage accumulation approach based on the Miner’s rule can be used to estimate the damage induced on the substructure of an offshore wind turbine using measurements from strain gauges. Furthermore, the most important environmental influences will be illustrated and the different stress concentration factors and the size effect introduced in the industry guideline DNVGL-RP-C203 will be analysed towards their effect on the calculated lifetime.

Le présent travail est une étude sur la modélisation des éoliennes flottantes alliant à la fois des chargements hydrodynamiques et aérodynamiques. L’approche expérimentale a tiré profit de la grande soufflerie de Luminy opérée par le MIO (Institut Océanologique de Méditerranée), unissant une soufflerie de très bonne qualité avec un bassin équipé de systèmes de génération de houle et de courant. Les dimensions de cette installation imposent un travail à échelle très réduite introduisant ainsi les interrogations sur les similitudes à respecter (Reynolds, Froude) et les complexités de maquettage. Ces travaux ont permis de développer des outils numériques avec d’un côté une approche fréquentielle basé sur un code utilisant les éléments finis développé par l’IFP au début des années 70, et de l’autre, une approche temporelle basé sur les formulations de Morison ou de Rainey permettant l’introduction de méthodes avancées de calculs des efforts aérodynamiques. / The present work focuses on the modeling of the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic loads on a floating wind turbine. The experimental approach took advantage of the wind and wave flume in Luminy operated by the MIO (Mediterranean Institute for Oceanography) comprising a wind tunnel with a very high flow quality blowing over a wave tank. The dimensions of the installation impose working at very small scales for which the similitudes (Reynolds, Froude) introduce high modeling complexities. This work allowed the development of numerical tools using one the one hand a frequency domain approach based on a finite element code developped by IFP¨in the early seventies, and in the other hand a time-domain approach based on Morison or Rainey formulation for hydrodynamic loads allowing the introduction of advanced methods for aerodynamic loads computation.

Motivation "Am stetig steigenden Anteil der erneuerbaren Energien, der auf der einen Seite durch die ehrgeizigen Ziele der Politik forciert und auf der anderen Seite durch wirtschaftliche Interessen beflügelt wird, stellt die Windenergie den größten und aussichtsreichsten Bestandteil dar (BMU 2012). Setzt sich der gegenwärtige Trend fort, so ist in den nächsten Jahren mit Multimegawattanlagen im mehrstelligen Megawattbereich zu rechnen."

Les travaux de thèse concernent le développement d’une plateforme d’émulation temps réel destinée aux études théoriques et expérimentales des systèmes hybrides éolien- hydrolien. Diverses architectures de couplages énergétiques sont traitées sur la base des similitudes fonctionnelles des deux systèmes et par des concepts d’émulation à la fois numériques et expérimentaux. La notion de simulation en temps « accéléré » a été développée. Le concept a été validé sur la plateforme expérimentale en utilisant l’évolution de la puissance moyenne délivrée par une turbine éolienne de petite puissance. Cette approche pourra permettre de réduire les temps d’observation des campagnes de mesure, d’accélérer les études sur le potentiel éolien des sites en développement. Nous avons développé également deux types de couplage du système hybride éolien-hydolien. Un couplage électrique basé sur la connexion en parallèle sur un bus continu des deux turbines. Nous avons développé un concept innovant d’un couplage électromécanique basé sur l’utilisation d’une seule génératrice asynchrone sur laquelle sont simultanément couplés les arbres de la turbine éolienne et de la turbine hydrolienne. Pour cela, un servomoteur à commande vectorielle nous a servi à émuler la turbine éolienne pendant qu’un moteur synchrone nous a servi d'émulateur de turbine hydrolienne. L’arbre de la génératrice sert de couplage mécanique entre les deux systèmes. Nous avons mis en évidence dans les expérimentations effectuées, la complémentarité des productions électriques des deux systèmes, et également le besoin de leur adjoindre un système de stockage pour palier à une baisse simultanée de deux productions d’énergie. / The thesis work concerns the development of a real-time emulation platform for theoretical and experimental studies of offshore wind and tidal power hybrid systems. Various energy coupling architectures are processed on the basis of the functional similarities of two systems and by both numerical and experimental emulation concepts. The notion of accelerated time used for real time simulation has been developed. The concept was validated on the experimental platform using the evolution of the mean power delivered by a small wind turbine. This approach can reduce the observation times of the measurement campaigns and could accelerate the studies for the wind potential of developing sites. We have also developed two types of coupling of the wind-tidal hybrid system. An electrical coupling based on the connection in parallel on a continuous bus of two turbines. We have developed an innovative concept of an electromechanical coupling based on the use of a single asynchronous generator on which the wind turbine and tidal turbine are simultaneously coupled. For this purpose, a vector-controlled servomotor was used to emulate the wind turbine while a synchronous motor was used as a tidal turbine emulator. The generator shaft is used as a mechanical coupling between the two systems. We have demonstrated in the experiments that we have developed the complementarity of the electrical productions of the two systems; we highlighted the need to add a storage system to compensate the simultaneous decrease of the two energy productions. The real time simulations results allow us to validate the feasibility of such a coupling.

Wind turbines are classic examples of structures where their operating lifetime is controlled by the fatigue properties of the material. This is exacerbated by the 2D nature of the composite materials used in blade construction which are typically fabrics in a variety of formats (e.g. non crimp fabrics, uniweave, woven). The formation of internal detailed shapes within the blade, allowing features such as spars, shear webs and other connections, inevitably requires these 2D material configurations to be formed into 3D shapes. This introduces positions within the structure where load transfer occurs across regions with no fibre reinforcement. These weak areas become natural positions for the initiation of damage that can occur well before fatigue damage would be expected in the basic material subject to simple in-plane loading. The aim of this study is to modify and improve the blade structure in order to extend its working life and minimize geometry related fatigue issues. To achieve this goal T-sections have been manufactured as representative element of the blade's spar. T-sections have been made of carbon or glass fabric infused with epoxy resin using a vacuum-assisted resin-transfer moulding technique. The structure has been modified with different toughening techniques to increase its interlaminar fracture resistance (toughness) and hence delay or stop crack propagation. Methods such as the use of veil layers, tufting and 3D weaving techniques have been employed to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness of the T-joint. The changing parameters in samples are, the addition of the veil layer to the composite structure, veil material, tufting stitches and use of different 3D fibre weaving architectures in the fabrication of the composite T-joint. For T-joint testing, there was no standardised specimen shapes and no standard for specimen dimensions; as well as no test fixture designs or test procedures. Consequently, it was required to design a test rig and develop a test procedure for tensile and fatigue tests of T-joints. An additional investigation was performed to establish test specimen geometry suitable for testing in available Instron machines. Manufactured specimens were quasi-static and fatigue tested. Test results were compared and showed that 3D woven and polyester veil T-joints had the best performance among modified structures. However, it has been found that these structural modifications are performing differently in quasi-static and fatigue loading. The 3D woven four layer to layer inter wave sample that showed the best result in a quasi-static test was not the one with the best fatigue results but it was amongst the ones with the highest performance. SEM and optical microscopy were used to investigate fractured specimens in an attempt to establish the mechanisms involved in the fracture process of the T-joint. Finally, based on test and investigations results it has been concluded that the 3D weaving was the most effective modification to improve the static and fatigue properties of the T-joint. The T-joint modified with polyester veil showed the second best performance in both static and fatigue tests but the addition of the polyamide caused had negative effects on these properties.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo o projeto, construção e análise do funcionamento de uma máquina elétrica síncrona trifásica com núcleo do rotor produzido a partir da metalurgia do pó e ímãs de neodímio-ferro-boro para aplicação em aerogeradores. Tomando como base a máquina elétrica modelo VTOP da fabricante Grupo Voges, foram realizadas mudanças na forma construtiva dos núcleos do estator e do rotor. O pacote chapas que compõem o núcleo do estator foi montado de maneira que as ranhuras apresentem um ângulo de inclinação de 10º ao longo de toda a extensão da máquina. Para o rotor, foi projetado e construído um núcleo através do processo de metalurgia do pó utilizando como matéria-prima pó de ferro puro. A esse novo núcleo foram acrescentados ímãs de neodímio-ferro-boro. Após a montagem dos componentes, a máquina elétrica foi ensaiada em uma bancada de testes. Paralelamente com a confecção do núcleo foi efetuada a simulação computacional da máquina com três tipos diferentes materiais no núcleo do rotor. Os resultados encontrados indicaram que a metalurgia do pó é uma alternativa viável para produção do núcleo de máquinas elétricas. Entretanto alterações na topologia e na forma de fixação dos ímãs são necessárias para um melhor desempenho. / This work aims at the design, construction and performance analysis of a three-phase synchronous electric machine with a rotor core produced by powder metallurgy and neodymium-iron-boron magnets for application in wind turbines. Based on the electric machine VTOP model of the manufacturer Grupo Voges, changes were carried out in the constructive form of the stator and rotor cores. The bundle of plates that make the role of stator core were mounted with a 10º slope along the entire length of the machine. For the rotor, a core was designed and built by employing powder metallurgy process using pure iron powder as raw material. The neodymium-iron-boron magnets were added to this new core. After assembling the components, the electric machine was tested on a test bench. Simultaneously with the core fabrication, the machine was simulated with three different materials in the rotor core. The results indicated that powder metallurgy is a viable alternative to produce the core of electric machines. However, changes in the topology and shape of the magnets are necessary for better assembly, improving the performance.

Structural topology optimization is a mathematical approach developed to perform design optimization with the purpose of reducing the material usage, while maximizing structural performance, in accordance to specific design constraints. The principles behind this technique have been around for many decades, but recent advancements in the processing power of computers have allowed for the solving of complex problems, such as the optimization of tall wind turbine towers, bridges, and the bracing systems in skyscrapers. There are two approaches commonly used in structural topology optimization: discrete and continuum. This thesis uses continuum topology optimization, which involves adjusting the distribution of a porous elastic solid material to extremize the design objective(s) and to satisfy constraints. The material porosity is the design variable that is adjusted during the optimization process. The design domain is broken down into a system of continuum degenerated finite elements, which are used for both structural analysis and to create a mesh representation of the structural system, just as pixels make up a picture. Solid elements are modeled as having no porosity, while void spaces have total porosity. As the optimization process occurs, the shape of the boundaries, and the number and size of internal holes are altered in order to best meet the design objective(s) and constraint(s). The purpose of performing continuum structural topology optimization of structural elements is to obtain promising concepts which provide a basis upon which to begin the design process. The steps taken in this thesis to optimize the wind turbine tower are: 1. Create a solid model of the tower domain 2. Define the material properties 3. Determine the equivalent static design wind forces using the extreme loading conditions outlined in IEC 61400 4. Formulate the optimization problem by specifying the objective and constraint functions. 5. Solve the optimization problem and interpret the results. This study on continuum topology optimization on the tower shell, indicates even with a significant reduction in material from the original design space, the structure is capable of meeting the design criteria. The results indicate that opening void spaces in the shell of the tower and creating an open lattice shape may be an effective method to reduce the volume of wind turbine towers, as it has in other applications. This concurs with the stated goal of my research, which is to show that topology optimization has the potential to be used in a multitude of practical applications in order to increase efficiency, and reduce cost of the production of wind power.

A typical approach to optimize wind turbine blades separates the airfoil shape design from the blade planform design. This approach is sequential, where the airfoils along the blade span are pre-selected or optimized and then held constant during the blade planform optimization. In contrast, integrated blade design optimizes the airfoils and the blade planform concurrently and thereby has the potential to reduce cost of energy (COE) more than sequential design. Nevertheless, sequential design is commonly performed because of the ease of precomputation, or the ability to compute the airfoil analyses prior to the blade optimization. This research investigates two integrated blade design approaches, the precomputational and free-form methods, that are compared to sequential blade design. The first approach is called the precomputational method because it maintains the ability to precompute, similar to sequential design, and allows for partially flexible airfoil shapes. This method compares three airfoil analysis methods: a panel method (XFOIL), a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes computational fluid dynamics method (RANS CFD), and using wind tunnel data. For each airfoil analysis method, there are two airfoil parameterization methods: the airfoil thickness-to-chord ratio and blended airfoil family factor. The second approach is called the free-form method because it allows for fully flexible airfoil shapes, but no longer has the ease of precomputation as the airfoil analyses are performed during the blade optimization. This method compares XFOIL and RANS CFD using the class-shape-transformation (CST) method to parameterize the airfoil shapes. This study determines if the precomputational method can capture the majority of the benefit from integrated design or if there is a significant additional benefit from the free-form method. Optimizing the NREL 5-MW reference turbine shows that integrated design reduce COE significantly more than sequential design. The precomputational method improved COE more than sequential design by 1.6%, 2.8%, and 0.7% using the airfoil thickness-to-chord ratio, and by 2.2%, 3.3%, and 1.4% using the blended airfoil family factor when using XFOIL, RANS CFD, and wind tunnel data, respectively. The free-form method improved COE more than sequential design by 2.7% and 4.0% using the CST method with XFOIL and RANS CFD, respectively. The additional flexibility in airfoil shape reduced COE primarily through an increase in annual energy production. The precomputational method captures the majority of the benefit of integrated design (about 80%) for minimal additional computational cost and complexity, but the free-form method provides modest additional benefits if the extra effort is made in computational cost and development time.

Nowadays, the climate change issue is becoming more and more actual in our society. Increase of the average temperature on Earth in a couple of degrees could have catastrophic consequences. One of the possible solutions seems to be renewable energy sources as photovoltaics, biomass of water and wind energy. This thesis deals with the aerodynamics problems of wind energy source. Wind turbines transform kinetic energy of wind to mechanical power. The efficiency is physically limited to 59,26 %, but in reality, it is getting around 45 %. This is caused by three biggest losses inducted in wind turbines as wake losses, losses due to finite number of blades and drag losses. Based on analytical relationships and including these three losses the aerodynamics blade design is conducted. Later, the numerical simulations show higher values of drag and lower values of lift force on airfoil compared to analytical calculation. In fact, percentage deviations are acceptable and to conclude, the numerical analysis was able to relatively accurately simulate force action of free stream velocity on the blade.