Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The sustainability and economy of the current South African National Antarctic Expedition IV (SANAE IV) base diesel-electric power system are threatened by the current high fuel prices and the environmental pollution reduction obligations. This thesis presents the potential technical, environmental and economical challenges associated with the integration of small wind energy conversion system (WECS) with the current SANAE IV diesel fuelled power system. Criteria derived from technical, environmental and economic assessments are applied in the evaluation of eight commercially available wind turbines as to determine the most technically and economically feasible candidates. Results of the coastal Dronning Maud Land and the local Vesleskarvet cold climate assessments based on long term meteorological data and field data are presented. Field experiments were performed during the 2007-2008 austral summer. These results are applied in the generation of a wind energy resource map and in the derivation of technical wind turbine evaluation criteria. The SANAE IV energy system and the electrical grid assessments performed are based on long term fuel consumption records and 2008 logged data. Assessment results led to the identification of SANAE IV specific avoidable wind turbine grid integration issues. Furthermore, electro-technical criteria derived from these results are applied in the evaluation of the eight selected wind turbines. Conceptual wind turbine integration options and operation modes are also suggested. Wind turbine micro-siting incorporating Vesleskarvet specific climatological, environmental and technical related issues are performed. Issues focusing on wind turbine visual impact, air traffic interference and the spatial Vesleskarvet wind distribution are analysed. Three potential sites suited for the deployment of a single or, in the near future, a cluster of small wind turbines are specified. Economics of the current SANAE IV power system based on the South African economy (May 2008) are analysed. The life cycle economic impact associated with the integration of a small wind turbine with the current SANAE IV power system is quantified. Results of an economic sensitivity analysis are used to predict the performance of the proposed wind-diesel power systems. All wind turbines initially considered will recover their investment costs within 20 years and will yield desirable saving as a result of diesel fuel savings, once integrated with the SANAE IV diesel fuelled power system. Finally, results of the technical and economical evaluation of the selected commercially available wind turbines indicated that the Proven 6 kWrated, Bergey 10 kWrated and Fortis 10 kWrated wind turbines are the most robust and will yield feasible savings.

Statistical extrapolation is required to predict extreme loads, associated with a target return period, for offshore wind turbines. In statistical extrapolation, “short-term" distributions of the load random variable(s) conditional on the environment are integrated with the joint probability distribution of environmental random variables (from wind, waves, current etc.) to obtain the so-called “long-term" distribution, from which long-term loads may be obtained for any return period. The accurate prediction of long-term extreme loads for offshore wind turbines, using efficient extrapolation procedures, is our main goal. While loads data, needed for extrapolation, are obtained by simulations in a design scenario, field data can be valuable for understanding the offshore environment and the resulting turbine response. We use limited field data from a 2MW turbine at the Blyth site in the United Kingdom, and study the influence of contrasting environmental (wind) regimes and associated waves at this site on long-term loads, derived using extrapolation. This study also highlights the need for efficient extrapolation procedures and for modeling nonlinear waves at sites with shallow water depths. An important first step in extrapolation is to establish robust short-term distributions of load extremes. Using data from simulations of a 5MW onshore turbine model, we compare empirical short-term load distributions when two alternative models for extremes--global and block maxima--are used. We develop a convergence criterion, based on controlling the uncertainty in rare load fractiles, which serves to assess whether or not an adequate number of simulations has been performed. To establish long-term loads for a 5MW offshore wind turbine, we employ an inverse reliability approach, which is shown to predict reasonably accurate long-term loads, compared to a more expensive direct integration approach. We show that blade pitching control actions can be a major source of response variability, due to which a large number of simulations may be required to obtain stable tails of short-term load distributions, and to predict accurate ultimate loads. We address model uncertainty as it pertains to wave models. We investigate the effect of using irregular nonlinear (second-order) waves, compared to irregular linear waves, on loads for an offshore wind turbine. We incorporate this nonlinear irregular wave model into a procedure for integrated wind-wave-response analysis of offshore wind turbines. We show that computed loads are generally somewhat larger with nonlinear waves and, hence, that modeling nonlinear waves is important is response simulations of offshore wind turbines and prediction of long-term loads. / text

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / The aerodynamic performance of an existing wind turbine blade optimised for low wind speed conditions is investigated. The aerodynamic characteristics of four span locations are determined from surface pressure measurements and wake surveys with a traversed five-hole probe performed in a low speed wind tunnel for chord Reynolds numbers ranging from 360,000 - 640,000. Two-dimensional modelling of the wind tunnel tests is performed with the commercial computational fluid dynamics code FLUENT. The predictive accuracies of five eddy-viscosity turbulence models are compared. The computational results are compared to each other and experimental data. It is found that agreement between computational and experimental results varies with turbulence model. For lower Reynolds numbers, the Transitional-SST turbulence model accurately predicted the presence of laminar separation bubbles and was found to be superior to the fully turbulent models considered. This highlighted the importance of transitional modelling at lower Reynolds numbers. With increasing angles of attack the bubbles were found to move towards the leading edge and decrease in length. This was validated with experimental data. For the tip blade section, computations implementing the k-ε realizable turbulence model best predicted experimental data. The two-dimensional panel method code, XFOIL, was found to be optimistic with significantly higher lift-to-drag ratios than measured. Three-dimensional modelling of the rotating wind turbine rotor is performed with the commercial computational fluid dynamics code NUMECA. The Coefficient of Power (Cp) predicted varies from 0.440 to 0.565 depending on the turbulence model. Sectional airfoil characteristics are extracted from these computations and compared to two-dimensional airfoil characteristics. Separation was found to be suppressed for the rotating case. A lower limit of 0.481 for Cp is proposed based on the experimental data. / Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies

Thesis (MScEng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The cost of powering Antarctic research stations by conventional diesel electric generator systems is high (Steel, 1993). In order to reduce these costs and airborne pollution due to the combustion of fossil fuels, an investigation into renewable energy sources has been conducted, with the focus on wind turbine energy generation. The aim was to see whether a wind turbine is feasible, both technically and economically, for partial energy production at the SANAE IV base. The existing diesel electrical generators will still be used for the base demand, when there is not enough wind or when the energy demand is more than can be produced by the wind turbine. The work accomplished for this study explains and motivates a MSc. (Eng.) thesis on the feasibility of installing wind electricity generators at Antarctica. This evaluation was done for the South African research station SANAE IV in Antarctica. It provides information on the literature consulted to date, the theoretical and practical work covered, the theoretical investigations, the results obtained and future implementations. Also included in this work was a trip to Antarctica, so that all the relevant data, like wind speeds and wind direction could be measured. Another reason for having done the trip was to do an energy audit for SANAE IV, so that the energy demand for the base could be established. The energy demand of the base varies among other factors, for summer and winter conditions, for day and night conditions, and for population variations. With the information obtained during the trip, the theoretical evaluation of a possible wind turbine system was performed. With the aid of the data from the 6 m wind mast, wind profiles have been established, from which Wei bull distributions were obtained, and the energy output from 5 different wind turbines, in the range between 10 kW and 100 kW, were calculated. The annual energy production of the 100 kW wind turbine is 430 MWh with a capacity factor of 49 %. The annual energy demand of the base amounts to 1153 MWh, thus the wind turbine could contribute up to 30 % of the power needed at the base taking losses, such as availability and maintenance losses, into account. From the automatic weather station of the South African Weather Services, positioned at SANAE IV, wind speed and direction data for the year 2001 was obtained and this data was analyzed. The results show that the winds at SANAE IV are highly directional, coming mostly from an eastern and southeastern direction. This highly directional wind pattern is well suited for wind turbine application. The average wind speed, being measured at 10m height, is 10.8 m/s and the hourly averaged maximum wind speed for the year 2001 is 38.9 mls. From the wind analysis, site survey, cold weather issues and connection to the electricity grid of the base, it becomes evident that the North Wind NWIOO/19 100 kW wind turbine is the best-suited wind turbine for installation at SANAE IV. One of the major advantages of the NW100/19 is that it features a tilt-up tower erecting system that enables the wind turbine to be installed without the use of a crane. The NW100/19 is the only turbine rated at 100 kW, with this feature. From the economic analysis it is evident that a wind turbine, with the complete installation, operation and maintenance costs, features a break even period of 10 years, when installed at SANAE IV. This relatively short breakeven period, considering that the life of the turbine is 30 years, originates from the fact that the average wind speed at the base is about 11 mis, which is relatively high and yields enormous power productions. This wind turbine operates for approximately 80 % during a year, which is very high, making this renewable energy source very attractive as a power-generating source for SANAE IV. The cost per kWh produced by the wind-diesel system is R1.63/kWh, while the cost per kWh produced by the current diesel generators, satisfying the power demand of the base, is R1.94/kWh. Thus the hybrid system can reduce the cost of power produced by almost 20 %, which again demonstrates the attractiveness of using wind power at SANAE IV. From an environmental point of view, the use of wind power at SANAE IV is favorable, since a wind turbine has minimal effects on the environment at Antarctica. The cost of emissions and fuel spills were calculated for SANAE IV. The fuel saving, resulting from the operation of a wind turbine at SANAE IV, converts to a saving in externalities of about R500 000.00 per year, using an evaluation method that was applied to remote Alaskan villages. It can therefore be concluded that the aims of the project have been fully accomplished and that the use of wind power at SANAE IV is indeed a very attractive option, regarding all the criteria mentioned above. When it is being decided that a budget will be provided for a wind turbine installation, the economic analysis has to be refined, due to the uncertainty of the market value of the South African currency. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die koste verbonde aan krag voorsiening vir Antarktiese navorsingstasies deur middel van konvensionele diesel elektriese kragopwekkers is baie hoog (Steel, 1993). Om hierdie kostes en lugbesoedeling weens die verbranding van fossielbrandstowwe te verminder, is 'n ondersoek na hemubare energiebronne gedoen, met die fokus op windturbiene energie opwekking. Die doelwit van die studie was om te sien of 'n windturbiene aanwending vir kragopwekking vir die SANAE IV stasie lewensvatbaar is, gebaseer op tegniese en ekonomiese uitgangspunte. Die bestaande diesel elektriese kragopwekkers sal nog altyd gebruik word vir kragopwekking, as daar nie genoeg wind is nie, of as die energievraag hoer is as wat kan verskafword deur die wind turbine. Die werk wat vir hierdie studie voltooi is belig en motiveer 'n MSc(Ing) tesis oor die lewensvatbaarheid vir installering van 'n windelektriese kragopwekker op Antarktika. Hierdie evaluasie is gedoen vir die Suid Afrikanse navorsingstasie, SANAE IV, op Antarktika. Dit behels informasie oor die literatuur verwerk tot dusver, die teoretiese en praktiese werk gedoen, die teoretiese ondersoeke, die resultate verkry en toekomstige verwesenlikings. Werk ook ingesluit was 'n expedisie na Antarktika toe, sodat al die relevante data, soos wind spoed en rigtings gemeet kon word. Nog 'n rede om die expedisie te doen was om energie data van SANAE IV te meet, sodat die energieverbruik van die basis bevestig kon word. Die energieverbruik van die basis varieer ten opsigte van somer en winter kondisies, van dag en nag variasies en inwonergetalle. Met die informasie verkry gedurende die expedisie kon 'n evaluasie gedoen word vir 'n moontlike windturbiene stelsel op Antarktika. Met die hulp van 'n 6tn wind toring kon wind profiele gekry word, waarvandaan Weibull verdelings bereken is en die kragopwekking van 5 verskillende windturbienes bereken is, wat wissel van 10 kW tot 100 kW. Die jaarlikse energieopwekking vir die 100 kW wind turbine is 430 MWh met 'n kapasiteitsfaktoor van 49 %. Die jaarlikse energieaanvraag van die stasie is 1153 MWh. Dus kan die wind turbine ongeveer 30 % van die jaarlikse energieaanvraag dek, as verliese soos beskikbaarheids- en instandhoudingsverliese III berekening gebring word. Wind spoed en rigting data vir die jaar 2001 is verkry van die outomatiese weerstasie van die Suid Afrikaanse Weer Diens, wat geposisioneer is by die SANAE IV stasie, en hierdie data is geanaliseer. Die resultate verkry bewys die direksionele stabiliteit van die winde by SANAE IV, waarvandaan die meeste winde uit die oostlike en suidoostlike rigting kom. Hierdie hoogs gekosentreede winde is baie goed geskik vir windturbiene aanwending. Die gemiddelde wind spoed, wat gemeet is op 'n hoogte van 10 m is 10.8 m/s en die uurlike gemiddelde maksimum wind spoed vir die jaar 2001 is 38.9 m/s. Van die wind analise, terrein analise, koue weer informasie en koppeling van die wind turbine by die bestaande elektrisiteits netwerk word bevestig dat die North Wind NW100119 100 kW windturbiene die geskikste windturbiene vir installasie en werking by SANAE IV is. Een van die grootste voordele van die NW100/19 windturbiene is dat dit 'n selfoprigdende meganisme het, wat sonder die hulp van 'n kraan werk. Die NW100/19 is die enigste windturbiene in sy klas, wat so 'n funksie het. Van die ekonomiese analise kan afgelei-word, dat 'n wind turbine met volledige installasie, werking en diens kostes, 'n kapitale terugbetalings periode van 10 jaar het, as dit by SANAE IV geinstalleer word. Hierdie tydperk is relatief kort, as gekyk word na die ontwerp leeftyd van 30 jaar van die NW100/19 wind turbine. Die rede vir die kort terugbetalings periode is afkomstig van die hoe gemiddelde wind spoed by SANAE IV, wat enorme kragopwekking tot gevolgtrekking het. Dit kan ook gesien word aan die hoe werkingsure van die turbine wat 6942 uur per jaar is. Dus wek die turbine vir omtrent 80 % van die jaar krag op, wat beinvloed dat 'n wind turbine opsie vir SANAE IV baie aantreklik is. Die koste per kWh krag opgewek vir die wind-diesel sisteem is R1.63/kWh, terwyl die koste per kWh krag opgewek vir die huidige diesel generator opstelling R1.941kWh is. Dus kan 'n kostebesparing van tot 20% van die energie onkostes verkry word, wat weer eens beklemtoon, dat die wind-diesel sisteem baie aantreklik vir kragopwekking by SANAE IV is. Vanaf 'n omgewingsoogpunt gesien het die gebruik van 'n wind turbine stelsel by die SANAE IV stasie net weglaatbaar klein invloede op die omgewing in vergelyking met die lugbesoedeling van die diesel kragopwekkers. As die koste verbonde aan lugbesoedeling en brandstof lekkasie besoedeling bereken word kan die wind turbine stelsel omtrent R500000.00 per jaar aan besoedeling onkostes spaar. Die getalle vir besoedelings onkostes is gebaseer op die evaluasie van besoedeling vir afgelee Amerikanse dorpies (Isherwood et al., 1999). Dit kan dus afgelei word vanaf die bogenoemde bevindings, dat die doelwitte van die tesis bereik is en dat wind krag opwekking by SANAE IV inderdaad 'n baie aantreklike moontlikheid is. Wanneer 'n begroting beskikbaar gestel word vir 'n windturbiene stelsel vir SANAE IV, moet die ekonomiese analise geoptimeer word weens die onsekerheid van die markwaaarde van die Suid Afrikaanse Rand.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A technology that has advanced immeasurably as a result of the necessity for green energy production is the harnessing of wind energy. One of the most important aspects of a wind turbine is its supporting structure. The tower of a wind turbine needs to be sufficiently reliable and structurally sound to ensure that the design life of the wind turbine machine is unaffected. The tower also needs to be of the correct height to ensure that the full potential of energy capture is realised. The supporting structure of a wind turbine constitutes up to as much as 30% of the total costs of a wind turbine. The most common wind turbine supporting structures seen worldwide today are Steel Monopole Towers. The large cost proportion of the tower compels the industry to investigate the most feasible alternative supporting tower structures and thus prompted the research developed in this thesis. In this thesis the focus is on small scale wind turbines (<50kW), more specifically, a 3kW Wind Turbine. The proposed alternative design the support structures of small scale wind turbines to the presently used Steel Monopole tower was a Steel Lattice tower. Both a Steel Lattice and Steel Monopole Tower was designed for a 3kW Wind Turbine using rational design methods determined from pertinent sections of the South African design codes. The Tower designs needed to incorporate the details of the element connections, so as to encompass all of the cost parameters accurately. The foundation design of each of the towers was also required from the point of view of cost analysis completeness, and ended up playing a critical role in the feasibility analysis. To validate the design methods, the two towers were modelled in the finite element package Strand7 and a number of different analyses were performed on the two towers. The analyses included linear static, nonlinear static, natural frequency and harmonic frequency analyses. The towers were assessed for a number of different load case combinations and were examined in terms of stress states, mass participation factors and deflections, to mention a few, for the worst loading combination cases that were encountered. Once a final design was reached for both the Steel Lattice and Steel Monopole Towers, each element from which they were made was assessed from a structural viewpoint to determine manufacturing and construction costs. The cost analysis was conducted by means of asking a number of leading construction companies for unit prices for each of the identified elements to be assessed. The fabrication and construction of each of the Towers was then compared to determine which one was more feasible, in terms of each design aspect considered as well as looking at the complete end product. It was found that the Steel Lattice Tower was more feasible from the points of view of fabrication, and construction, as well as having a far more cost effective foundation. This was a positive conclusion from the perspective of the proposal for a more feasible alternative to the presently used Steel Monopole Towers. The outcome of the research conducted here could certainly prove to be worth considering from a wind farm development perspective, with particular focus on the up and coming Wind Industry developments in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: As gevolg van die noodsaaklikheid vir die produksie van volhoubare energie is ʼn tegnologie wat met rasse skrede vooruitgegaan het die vir die benutting van windenergie. Een van die belangrikste aspekte van 'n windturbine is die ondersteunende struktuur. Die toring van 'n windturbine moet funksioneel en struktureel betroubaar wees om te verseker dat die ontwerpleeftyd van die windturbine masjien nie nadelig beïnvloed word nie. Die toring moet ook die regte hoogte wees om te verseker dat die volle potensiaal van die wind energie in meganiese energie omgesit word. Die koste van die ondersteunende struktuur van 'n windturbine verteenwoordig tot 30% van die totale koste van 'n windturbine. Die mees algemene vorm van ondersteunende strukture vir windturbines wat vandag wêreldwyd teëgekom word, is die van 'n enkel staal buisvormige toring. Die groot koste‐komponent van die toring dwing die industrie om ondersoek in te stel na die mees koste effektiewe prakties uitvoerbare alternatief vir die ondersteunende toring struktuur. Hierdie aspek van die struktuur konseptualisering het gelei tot die navorsing wat in hierdie tesis onderneem is. Die fokus van die navorsing is op klein skaal windturbines (<50kW), en meer spesifiek op 'n 3kW windturbine model. Die alternatiewe ontwerp wat ontwikkel is vir klein skaal wind turbines se ondersteunende structure, is 'n staal vakwerk toring as alternatief vir die staal buisvormige toring. Beide 'n staal vakwerk en staal buisvormige toring vir 'n 3kW wind turbine is ontwerp deur rasionele ontwerp metodes. Die toepaslike gedeeltes van die Suid‐Afrikaanse ontwerp kodes is hiervoor gebruik. Die ontwerp vir die toring moet die besonderhede van die element verbindings in ag neem en die nodige koste parameters moet akkuraat bepaal word. Die ontwerp van die fondament van elke toring is ook noodsaaklik vir die volledigheid van die koste‐ontleding en dit speel ook 'n kritieke rol in die gangbaarheid analise. Om die ontwerp metodes te bevestig, is die twee tipes torings in die eindige element pakket, Strand7, gemodelleer en 'n aantal verskillende ontledings vir die twee torings is uitgevoer. Die ontledings sluit lineêr en nie‐lineêr statiese ontledings asook natuurlike frekwensie en dinamiese ontledings onder harmoniese belastings in. Die torings is vir 'n aantal verskillende lasgevalkombinasies ondersoek en in die spannings toestande, massadeelname faktore en defleksies vir die ergste laskombinasie gevalle wat ondervind is, is geassesseer. Sodra 'n finale ontwerp vir beide die staal vakwerk en staal buisvormige toring voltooi is, is elke element beoordeel uit 'n strukturele en materiaal oogpunt om die kostes daarvan te bepaal. Die koste‐analise is baseer op data wat voorsien is deur 'n aantal vooraanstaande konstruksiemaatskappye op 'n prys per eenheid basis vir elk van die geïdentifiseerde elemente wat geassesseer moes word. Die vervaardiging en konstruksie van elke toring is dan vergelyk om te bepaal watter een die mees haalbaar is, in terme van elke toepaslike ontwerpsaspek en deur ook die volledige eindproduk te evalueer. Daar is bevind dat die staal vakwerk toring uit die oogpunt van vervaardiging en konstruksie, asook as gevolg van 'n meer koste‐effektiewe fondament, die voorkeur alternatief verteenwoordig het. Dit was 'n positiewe gevolgtrekking uit die oogpunt van die soeke na 'n ander alternatief as die buisvormige staal torings wat tans algemeen in gebruik is. Die uitkoms van hierdie navorsing verdien oorweging uit ʼn windplaas ontwikkelingsperspektief, met ʼn spesifieke fokus op die opkomende ontwikkelinge in die wind energie industrie in Suid‐Afrika.

Thesis (MEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Support tower structures of Wind Energy Conversion Systems (WECS) are major cost items and by means of integrated design and optimization, the Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) can be reduced substantially. In this thesis, Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWTs) tower structures are investigated by means of a technique or tool that can bene t in decision making related situations to reduce the LCC of such WECS support towers from inception to disposal. Often, during the conceptual design phase a certain level of uncertainty or fuzziness exists and plays a role. The central focus in this project is on lattice type towers; however an account on tapered, tubular monopole towers is given as well. The problem is identi ed to be of a multi-objective nature, where a variety of criteria or objectives that are identi ed play a role in the possible reduction of the total LCC of the structure. The study also entails the delineation and discussion of the factors and components that a ect the LCC of a steel structure. The decision maker has control over only a few of these factors and components as identi ed, and these can be formulated by means of an objective to be minimized (or maximized in several other cases). Some of the objectives are incommensurable and others are commensurable with each other. In other words, several of these objectives either `compete' or don't `compete' against each other, respectively. The investigation resulted in the development of a multi-objective LCC optimization using the λ-formulation (or min-max formulation) as the objective aggregating approach for the four objectives identi ed (varied during analysis for sensitivity checks). The objectives are user-de ned in terms of membership functions that grade the degree of membership from total acceptance to total rejection by means of boundary values. This formulation is Non-Pareto based and the decision maker obtains the best trade-o or best compromise solution. The detailed discussion around these objectives is included in the literature study. The objectives in the multi-objective study are weight, cost, perimeter and nodal deflections, and a weighting of the objectives is possible but this is excluded from this study. A Genetic Algorithm (GA), coded in MATLAB, is implemented as the optimization tool or technique. The algorithm uses a quadratic penalty function approach and a natively written Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tool is used for the response model in the tness evaluation process, where the performance for stability, capacity and overall deflections of an individual in the population is quanti ed. A GA has the advantage that it operates on an entire population of individuals using basic principles such as genetics, crossover, mutation, selection and survival of the ttest from biology and Darwinian principles. GAs are very robust and e ective global search methods that can be applied to most elds of study. GAs have previously been e ectively applied in structural, single objective optimization (structural weight) problems. The GA is adopted and modi ed and veri ed with results on academic problems obtained from literature. Satisfactory performance was observed, although room for improvement is identi ed. A case study on a full scale model is performed, using circular hollow sections and equal leg angle sections. These are commonly used steel profi les for lattice type towers. The results obtained are as expected. The structural mass was used as a measure to compare the results. A heavier structure is obtained using the equal leg angle sections compared to the CHS structure with a di fference of up to 20% in weight. The best compromise solutions are feasible and near optimal, given the conditions of the equally weighted objectives in this study. The membership function defi nition and boundary value determination still remains a key issue when using fuzzy logic to incorporate the preference information of the decision maker. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toringstrukture van windturbines is belangrike kostekomponente van `n windkragopwekking stelsel. Deur middel van geï ntegreerde ontwerp en optimalisering kan die lewensikluskoste aansienlik verminder word. In hierdie tesis word horisontale-as windturbinetoringstrukture ondersoek. Deur middel van `n tegniek of hulpmiddel wat kan baat vind by besluitneming situasies, word die lewensiklus-koste van sodanige windturbine ondersteuning torings vanaf voorgebruik-fase tot lewenseinde-fase verminder. Dikwels, tydens die konseptuele ontwerp-fase, speel `n sekere vlak van onsekerheid of verwarring ook `n rol. Die sentrale fokus in hierdie projek is op staal vakwerk tipe torings gelê. `n Vereenvoudigde ontleeding van buisvormige torings is ook benader. Die probleem is van multikriteria aard, waar `n verskeidenheid van kriterie of doelwitte ge denti seer was. Hulle speel `n rol in die moontlike vermindering van die totale lewensiklus-koste van die struktuur. Die studie behels ook die bespreking en afbakening van die faktore en komponente wat die lewensiklus-koste van 'n staal struktuur bepaal. Die besluitnemer het slegs beheer oor sekere van hierdie faktore en komponente, en hierdie word deur middel van `n saamgevoegde doel-funksie gede neer wat dan geminimeer word. Sommige van die doelfunksies kompeteer met mekaar en sommige kompeteer nie met mekaar nie. Die ondersoek het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van `n multikriteria lewensiklus-koste optimalisering met behulp van die λ-formulering (of min-max formulering). Hierdie is `n tegniek wat die kriterie in vorm van `n verteenwoordigende doel-funksie saamvoeg. Daar is vier doelwitte wat geï denti seer was. Die gebruiker de nieer spesiale, lineêre doel-funksies wat van totale aanvaarding tot totale verwerping streek. Dit word deur middel van randwaardes gedoen. Hierdie formulering is nie Pareto gebaseer nie, en die besluitnemer verkry die `best trade-off ' of die beste kompromis oplossing. Die detailleerde bespreking rondom hierdie doelwitte is in die literatuurstudie ingesluit. Die doelwitte wat in die multikriteria studie gebruik word is gewig, koste, omtrek van die snitpro el en strukturêle defleksie. `n Gewig kan aan elke kriterium toegeken word, maar dit word van hierdie studie uitgesluit. `n Genetiese algoritme (GA), geï mplementeer in MATLAB, word as die optimalisering instrument en tegniek gebruik. Die algoritme gebruik `n kwadratiese `straf-funksie' en `n MATLAB Eindige Element Analise (EEA) word gebruik vir die gedragsmodel in die `fi ksheid' evalueringsproses. Die prestasie vir stabiliteit, kapasiteit en algehele verlegging van `n individu in die GA bevolking word daardeur gekwanti seer. `n GA het die voordeel, dat dit met `n hele bevolking van individue werk. Dit is gebaseer op beginsels van genetika en Darwin se beginsels. GAs is baie stabiel en ook e ektiewe globale soek metodes wat van toepassing in verskillende studierigtings is. GAs is al e ektief toegepas in strukturêle optimalisering (veral strukturêle gewig optimalisiering). Die GA in hierdie studie was aangepas en die gedrag en prestasie is bevestig met resultate van akademiese probleme uit die literatuur. Bevredigende prestasie is waargeneem, maar ruimte vir verbetering is ook geï denti seer. `n Gevallestudie oor `n grootskaal model is uitgevoer, en die gebruik van ronde holpro ele en gelykbenige hoekpro ele is uitgevoer. Dit is algemeen gebruikte staalpro ele vir vakwerk tipe torings. Die resultate wat verkry is, is soos verwag. Die strukturêle massa is gebruik as `n maatstaf om die resultate te vergelyk. `n Swaarder struktuur is die resultaat wanneer gelykbenige hoekpro ele gebruik word in vergelyking met die ronde holpro el struktuur. `n Verskil tot 20% in gewig is waargeneem. Die beste kompromis oplossing is haalbaar en naby-optimaal, gegewe die omstandighede van die gelyk geweegde doelfunksies in hierdie studie. Die doel-funksie de nisie, die voorkeur van die besluitnemer en die bepaling van die randwaardes bly steeds `n belangrike kwessie by die gebruik van hierdie benadering.

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).

Este trabalho de mestrado está relacionado com a análise do comportamento dinâmico de turbinas eólicas equipadas com gerador síncrono com excitação a ímãs permanentes operando durante contingências na rede elétrica e com variação na velocidade do vento. Tal configuração tem muitas vantagens quando comparada com a configuração atualmente utilizada pelos principais fabricantes de turbinas eólicas de grande porte. A principal delas é devido ao fato de não utilizar caixas de engrenagens. Porém, o impacto na rede elétrica com a conexão de tal configuração deve ser minimizado melhorando as condições operativas no ponto de conexão da fazenda eólica. Desta forma, o projeto em questão visa investigar formas de diminuir os impactos negativos causados e melhorar a estabilidade do sistema, principalmente, no ponto de conexão à rede elétrica Portanto, o projeto de pesquisa deste mestrado está relacionado ao desenvolvimento de modelos computacionais que representem tal tecnologia, considerando os principais componentes e controles utilizando o software de simulação PSCAD. Também são incluídos novos métodos de controle e elementos adicionais que melhoram a confiabilidade e o nível de penetração de parques eólicos com geradores a ímãs permanentes. Ressalta-se que tais modelos não estão disponíveis de forma completa no software citado acima, portanto foram desenvolvidos partindo de modelos genéricos existentes. Todas as partes do modelo foram realizadas com elementos básicos acessíveis em qualquer programa de simulação, de modo que qualquer engenheiro ou pesquisador possa programar este mesmo modelo em qualquer software. Esta dissertação começa com uma breve descrição do modelo desenvolvido, incluindo o modelo aerodinâmico das turbinas eólicas, o controle do conversor do lado do gerador, o controle do conversor do lado da rede e o sistema de proteção do link de corrente contínua. Com o modelo desenvolvido, analisa-se a operação do gerador síncrono a imãs permanentes durante contingências na rede. A aplicação de um sistema avançado de armazenamento de energia e a possibilidade de suporte de frequência à rede elétrica também foram desenvolvidos e analisados. Considerando os resultados obtidos, podemos verificar que a conexão de parques eólicos equipados com geradores síncronos com excitação a ímãs permanentes pode trazer benefícios para a rede elétrica, quando o seu potencial de controle e de operação é utilizado. Mais detalhes podem ser verificados nos capítulos a seguir. / This master\'s project aims to study the behavior of wind turbines with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator, operating during contingencies and changes in wind speed. This configuration has many advantages compared with configurations currently used by leading manufacturers of large wind turbines. The main one is due to the fact of use smaller gearboxes or even gearless turbines. However, the impact on the electrical grid connection of this configuration should be minimized by improving the operating conditions at the connection point of the wind farm. Thus, this project aims to investigate ways to reduce the negative impacts and improve the system stability, especially at the grid connection point. This work employs the simulation software PSCAD for developing a computational model of this technology, considering the main components and controls. New control methods and additional features are included, for improving the reliability and the level of penetration of wind farms with permanent magnet generators in the power system. It is noteworthy that such models are not available in the simulation software PSCAD; therefore it was developed from existing generic models. All parts of the model were done with basic elements; as a result any engineer or researcher can program this same model in any software. This work begins with a brief description of the developed model, including: the aerodynamic model of the wind turbines, the control of the generator side converter, the control of the grid side converter and the protection system of the Link-DC. With this model, the operation of the permanent magnet synchronous generator was analyzed during network contingencies. The application of a sophisticated energy storage system for frequency support was also both developed and analyzed. The connection of wind turbines with Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator has advantages when its potential for control and operation is used. More details can be checked in the following chapters.

This thesis presents a complete method of modeling the autospectra of turbulence in closed form via an expansion series using the von Kármán model as a basis function. It is capable of modeling turbulence in all three directions of fluid flow: longitudinal, lateral, and vertical, separately, thus eliminating the assumption of homogeneous, isotropic flow. A thorough investigation into the expansion series is presented, with the strengths and weaknesses highlighted. Furthermore, numerical aspects and theoretical derivations are provided. This method is then tested against three highly complex flow fields: wake turbulence inside wind farms, helicopter downwash, and helicopter downwash coupled with turbulence shed from a ship superstructure. These applications demonstrate that this method is remarkably robust, that the developed autospectral models are virtually tailored to the design of white noise driven shaping filters, and that these models in closed form facilitate a greater understanding of complex flow fields in wind engineering. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

In this thesis, the reliability of small wind turbines is studied. Both conventional reliability analysis methods and the novel Bayesian models (Bayesian Hierarchical Modelling (BHM)) are used to analyse the reliability performance of the Gaia-Wind turbines / assemblies and components of the Gaia-Wind turbine. In Chapter 2, a simple failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is conducted. An approximated risk priority number (RPN) is calculated for each failure mode and assembly. The assembly that is identified to have the highest RPN is the "Rotor and Blade Assembly". As for the failure modes, "Blade Split" and "Generator Failure" failure modes are identified to have the highest RPNs. In Chapter 3, the conventional methods including the Kaplan-Meier Analysis, Weibull Plot Analysis, Homogeneous Poisson Process (HPP) Analysis, and Crow-AMSAA (Non-Homogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP)) Analysis are used to study the reliability performance of the generic turbine and the critical assemblies based on the approximated RPNs. By using these conventional methods, the L10 life can be approximated (Kaplan-Meier), the main failure modes of an assembly can be identified (Weibull Plot Analysis), the annual failure rate can be estimated (HPP), and the number of future failures can be predicted (NHPP). These methods have been implemented in a novel on-line interactive platform, named ReliaOS (Chapter 7), which effectively facilitates the process of converting the information in the warranty record to the meaningful reliability information. Three novel BHM models are proposed and implemented in WinBUGS (an open source software), namely the repair model, the environmental model, and the informative prior framework, (Chapter 5 and Chapter 6). The repair model is used to quantify the repair effectiveness of a generic repair action. The model is applied on both the turbine level as well as the component level. At the turbine level, the annual failure rate of the generic turbine is predicted to be 0:159 per turbine per year at the first year. Individual turbines can be categorised into different quality levels ("Good", "Good- Normal", "Normal", "Normal-Bad", and "Bad") based on the predicted annual failure rate values. At the component level, "Blade split", "Cracked Frame", and "Generator Failure" failure modes are studied. These are the most critical failure modes for "Rotor and Blade Assembly", "Tower, Foundation, and Nacelle", and "Generator" assemblies respectively. "Cracked Frame" failure mode is predicted to have the lowest characteristic life and a slightly increasing failure rate trend. The repair effectiveness of the "Cracked Frame" failure mode is identified to be slightly ineffective. The environmental model quantifies the influence of three environmental covariates, i.e. AverageWind Speed (AWS), Turbulence Intensity (TI), and Terrain Slope (TS). These environmental covariates are all identified to have negative impact to the reliability of the generic turbine, where TI and AWS have more pronounced impact than TS. The informative prior BHM framework offers a way of quantifying the reliability of the drivetrain frame (which corresponds to the "Cracked Frame" failure mode) in a situation where zero failure instance is recorded for the new drivetrain frame design. This is achieved by jointly considering the simulation results from SOLIDWORKS as the prior information into the BHM model. This thesis strives to understand the reliability performance of the Gaia-Wind small wind turbine from different perspectives, i.e. the generic turbine, individual turbines, and the components, by the use of conventional methods and the proposed BHM models. The novel on-line reliability platform, ReliaOS, mitigates the difficulties in converting the information in the data to the reliability information for the end users. It is believed that the proposed BHM models and the ReliaOS on-line reliability analysis platform will improve the reliability analysis of small-wind turbines.