Shubham Baisthakur

Development of fully coupled aeroelastic model of Offshore Wind Turbine including foundation

Keywords:

As global warming and climate change continue to be a global concern, significant attempts are being taken to generate electricity from renewable energy sources such as wind. Globally, many researchers are actively working to understand the behaviour of large scale wind turbines and improve their efficiency. Offshore wind turbines are the largest rotating structures on Earth. Offshore wind turbines are the fastest-growing sector in wind power because of the availability of significantly higher and uninterrupted wind resource on shorelines.

The foundation system of offshore wind turbines requires special attention owing to the complexities involved. A suitable type of foundation based on stability and economic feasibility should be chosen, and its effect on the overall behaviour of wind turbine should be studied. Offshore wind turbines are lightly damped and dynamically sensitive structures. The response of wind turbines to time-varying turbulent aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loading is also a critical concern. Although much work has been done, accurate modelling of the coupled geotechnical-structural behaviour and fluid-structure interaction is still elusive.

The purpose of this research is to develop a holistic structural dynamic model of offshore wind turbines, including the soil-structure and fluid-structure interaction. This research will mainly focus on monopile foundations. Advanced stochastic models for joint wind/wave loads on offshore wind turbines specific will also be developed. Integrated methods for robust and reliable wind turbine design and optimisation for offshore installations will also be explored.

Project Supervisor(s): Prof. Breiffni Fitzgerald