Floating wind technology has the potential to produce low-carbon electricity on a large scale: it allows the expansion of o shore wind harvesting to deep water, indicatively from 50-60 to a few hundred metres depth, where most of the worldwide technical resource is found. New design specifi cations are being developed for floating wind in order to meet diverse criteria such as conversion effi ciency, maintainability, buoyancy stability, and structural reliability. The last is the focus of this work. The mechanics of floating wind turbines in wind and waves are investigated with an array of numerical means. They demand the simulation of multiple processes such as aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, rotor and structural dynamics; understanding their interaction is essential for engineering design, verifi cation, and concept evaluation. The project is organised in three main parts, presented below. Aero-hydro-mechanical simulation, characterising the rigid-body motions of a floating wind turbine. An investigation of multi-physical couplings is carried out, mainly through EDF R&D's time-domain simulator CALHYPSO. Wave forces are represented with the potential- ow panel method and the Morison equation. Aerodynamic forces are represented by a thrust model or with the blade element momentum theory. Main fi ndings: Exposure of fi nite-angle coupling for semi-submersible turbines with focus on heave plate excursion; characterisation of the aerodynamic damping of pitch motion provided by an operating vertical-axis turbine. Dynamic mooring simulation, focussed on highly compliant mooring systems, where the fluid-structure interaction and mechanical inertial forces can govern line tension. EDF R&D's general-purpose, finite-element solver Code Aster is confi gured for this use exploiting its nonlinear large-displacement and contact mechanics functionalities. Main findings: Demonstration of a Code Aster-based work ow for the analysis of catenary mooring systems; explanation of the dynamic mooring eff ects previously observed in the DeepCwind basin test campaign. Aeroelastic analysis of vertical-axis rotors, aimed at verifying novel large-scale floating wind turbine concepts in operation, when aeroelastic-rotordynamic instabilities may occur. The finite-element modal approach is used to qualify rotor vibrations and to estimate the associated damping, based on the spinning beam formulation and a linearised aerodynamic operator. Main fi ndings: Characterisation of the vibration modes of two novel vertical-axis rotor concepts using the Campbell diagram; estimation of the related aerodynamic damping, providing information on the aeroelastic stability of these designs.

Climate Change and Energy Security have been dominating the global energy agenda. In response the United Kingdom (UK) set a target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050, and have accepted the European Directive to produce 15% of energy by renewable resources by 2020. Despite doubts in the last few years, the UK are on track to not only meet but exceed the target placed upon them, which sets them in good light for the long term 2050 emission reduction. This research investigated the barriers in the industry such as the planning process delays and public perception. Findings suggested that negative public perceptions still remain, with onshore projects gaining more attention than offshore projects. The planning system whilst showing an improvement in overall decision time still showed signs of delays in the pre-examination process. The research also highlighted signs of a predicted development plateau in onshore schemes, with approved capacity rates slowing in the year 2014. Furthermore, the political structure surrounding wind energy has become fragile, following recent comments from the Conservative party, suggesting they will see an end to onshore wind should they gain election in 2015. Therefore despite positive steps taken by the UK towards renewable energy targets, the future of wind energy is not certain.

Orientador: Milton Dias Junior / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T23:46:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_GustavoRobertodeSouza_M.pdf: 19462532 bytes, checksum: 9591493a03edfc2b4ed7c18c9cf7005a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Entre os anos de 2004 e 2014 a capacidade total instalada de aerogeradores no mundo apresentou um crescimento de aproximadamente 700%. Este crescimento tão acentuado tem ocorrido devido à atual preocupação mundial com o desgaste do planeta e a consequente busca por novas fontes de energia renováveis e limpas. Evidentemente, esta situação tem atraído muitos investimentos para o estudo de geradores eólicos mas o que se observa na prática é que um número significativo de falhas prematuras ainda ocorrem nos componentes dos aerogeradores. Problemas com a caixa de engrenamento estão entre as principais causas de downtime de um aerogerador. Estudos ainda mais profundos relacionados a este assunto são necessários para o desenvolvimento de projetos de turbinas eólicas mais confiáveis. O presente trabalho se insere neste contexto analisando o comportamento vibratório torcional do trem de potência de um aerogerador de eixo horizontal de velocidade variável. Para tanto, utiliza-se um modelo de múltiplos corpos no qual são incorporados os efeitos da rigidez variável dos engrenamentos helicoidais, fazendo com que o sistema resultante seja linear e variante com o tempo. Os parâmetros modais - frequências naturais, fatores de amortecimento e modos de vibrar - do sistema linear e invariante no tempo equivalente são apresentados. Foram também realizadas simulações com o aerogerador operando nas condições de velocidades de rotação constante e variável, sempre funcionando em faixas de operação compatíveis com o gerador eólico estudado. Os resultados das simulações foram analisados utilizando ferramentas de processamento de sinais estacionários e não estacionários. Estes resultados mostram a presença de forças dinâmicas internas à caixa de engrenagens que contém componentes de frequência iguais às frequências do engrenamento e suas múltiplas. Demonstra-se que estas forças, dependendo da velocidade de operação da máquina e das características do par engrenado, podem excitar as frequências naturais do sistema, e isto, por sua vez, pode levar ao desgaste prematuro dos componentes do aerogerador. Verifica-se também a ocorrência de ressonâncias de segunda ordem, característica de sistemas variantes com o tempo / Abstract: Between 2004 and 2014, the total capacity installed of wind turbines in the world presented an increase of approximately 700%. This very sharp increase has been due to the current global concerns about the planet wear and the consequent search for new sources of renewable and clean energy. Clearly, this situation has attracted many investments for the wind turbines study, but in practice it is observed that a significant number of premature failures still occur in the wind turbine components. Problems with the gear box are one of the leading causes of the downtime of a wind turbine. Deeper studies related to this matter are necessary for the development of more trustable wind turbines projects. The main work was inserted in this context analyzing the torsional vibration behavior of the power train of a horizontal axis wind turbine with variable speed. To do so, a multibody model was used in which the variable stiffness effects of the helical gear ratio were embedded, so that the resulting system was linear time-varying. The modal parameters ¿ natural frequencies, damping factors and vibration modes- of the equivalent linear time-invariant system were presented. Simulations with a wind turbine operating in constant and variable rotation speed conditions were also made, always working on compatible operating ranges with the wind generator studied. The simulations results were analyzed using stationary and not stationary signal processing tools. These results showed the presence of dynamic forces inside the gear box containing the frequencies components equal to the gear meshing frequencies and its multiples. Depending of the operation machine speed and the gear pair characteristics, it was demonstrated that these forces may excite the natural frequencies of the system, and in turn, this can lead to premature wear of the wind turbine components. It is also verified the occurrence of second-order resonances and linear time-varying systems characteristics / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

The simulation of the turbulent and potentially separating flow around a rotating, twisted, and tapered airfoil is a challenging task for CFD simulations. This thesis describes CFD simulations of the NREL Phase VI turbine that was experimentally characterized in the 24.4m X 36.6m NREL/NASA Ames wind tunnel. All computations in this research are performed on the experimental base configuration of 0o yaw angle, 3o tip pitch angle, and a rotation rate of 72 rpm. The significance of specific mesh resolution regions to the accuracy of the CFD prediction is discussed. The ability of CFD to capture bulk quantities, such as the low speed shaft torque, and the detailed flow characteristics, such as the surface pressure distributions, are explored for different inlet wind speeds. Finally, the significant three-dimensionality of the boundary layer flow is demonstrated.

No description available.

These latest years, the green energy is highlighted and new technologies appeared. It is the case for wind turbines. The aim of latest developments has been to increase the power output. The use of new material enables the design of wind turbine with an impressive height, more and more flexible, inducing significant dynamic forces. However, several problems have been encountered on the connection between the foundation and the tower, which threaten the entire integrity of the structure. The initial lifetime could be impacted. The first aims of the master thesis are to understand the dynamic behavior of a wind turbine, determine the resultant forces at the foundation in order to explain the issues encountered at the foundation level on site, and compare these results with the resultant forces given by the wind turbine manufacturer. Indeed, the constructor transmits to the civil engineer one or more resultants forces without justifications in order to design the foundation. These loads are often issued from extreme load case. The analysis of the serviceability limit state is not well realized. It is this resultant force in operation which must be determined in this master thesis. After having presented the history of wind turbines, the different parts and the model use for the wind; the blade element model is used to calculate the forces of the wind on the rotor. These forces calculated from the theory used are eventually compared with the provider data. The turbulence component of the wind on the tower is evaluated by a spectral method and a fluid structure interaction with the software Abaqus. The inertial effects of the tower are calculated in order to give an order of magnitude of the resultant load on the foundations. This knowledge enables to analyze the connection in serviceability limit state which is another aim of the study. An analysis of the connection is done in order to get an idea of the risks. In particular, the punching resistance and the stability of the structure are verified.

With the growing demand of renewable wind energy, logistics and operations associated with a wind turbine makes for compelling study and analysis. The study entails understanding of transporting a wind turbine nacelle from Denmark till Australia. The methods of transporting the wind turbine nacelle and the modes of transportation that are currently in use have been studied. Factors that are detrimental to efficient shipping have been reviewed with existing literature and analysed for a wind turbine nacelle. The two key factors that influence transportation namely humidity and G-force have been identified. Simple and cost effective solutions such as use of insulation material, use of desiccants to overcome the effects of humidity, use of shock absorber pallets to reduce shock and vibration have been proposed. For the damages caused to a wind turbine nacelle due to random causes, some suggestions to prevent such damages have also been provided.

A literature review of current design and analysis methods for offshore wind turbine (OWT) foundations is presented, focusing primarily on the monopile foundation. Laterally loaded monopile foundations are typically designed using the American Petroleum Institute (API) p-y method for offshore oil platforms, which presents several issues when extended to OWTs, mostly with respect to the large pile diameters required and the effect of cyclic loading from wind and waves. Although remedies have been proposed, none have been incorporated into current design standards. Foundations must be uniquely designed for each wind farm due to extreme dependence on site characteristics. The uncertainty in soil conditions as well as wind and wave loading is currently treated with a deterministic design procedure, though standards leave the door open for engineers to use a probability-based approach. This thesis uses probabilistic methods to examine the reliability of OWT pile foundations. A static two-dimensional analysis in MATLAB includes the nonlinearity of p-y soil spring stiffness, variation in soil properties, sensitivity to pile design parameters and loading conditions. Results are concluded with a natural frequency analysis.

There is a growing interest in extracting more power per turbine by increasing the rotor size in offshore wind turbines. As a result, the turbine blades will become longer and therefore more flexible and a flexible blade is susceptible to flow-induced instabilities, such as classical flutter. In order to design and build stable large wind turbine blades, the onset of instability should be considered in the design process. To observe flow-induced instabilities in wind turbine blades, a small-scale flexible blade was built based on NREL 5MW reference wind turbine blade. The blade was placed in the test section of a wind tunnel and its tip displacement was measured using a non-contacting displacement measurement device. The blade was non-rotating and was subjected to uniform incoming flow. For a range of blade angles of attack, instability was observed beyond a critical wind speed. The amplitude of oscillations increases for wind speeds higher than the critical speed, and the frequency of oscillations remains constant. Flow visualizations and force measurements are conducted and the influence of various system parameters including the angle of attack and the blade twist was examined.

No description available.