A straightforward approach to site-wide assessment of wind turbine tower lifetime extension potential

Nicola Grieve; Abbas Mehrad Kazemi Amiri; William E. Leithead

doi:10.3390/en15093380

A straightforward approach to site-wide assessment of wind turbine tower lifetime extension potential

Nicola Grieve, Abbas Mehrad Kazemi Amiri, William E. Leithead

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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42 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This contribution presents a novel methodology to evaluate the lifetime extension potential of wind turbines—taking towers as the key component that preserves onshore turbines' structural integrity—as a consequence of the difference between design and site-specific loads. Specifically, attention is drawn to the site-specific wind direction distribution, which provides an additional source of lifetime extension potential. For this purpose, variants of closed-form solutions (based on the tower section’s normal stress) are developed to enable fatigue damage accumulation due to fore-aft and side-to-side bending moments at any point on the tower circumference without the need for further information on tower section geometry or material properties. Based on the degree of data availability, different scenarios are defined to estimate lifetime extension potential from the accurate tower's normal stress and approximations using resultant bending moment, fore-aft bending moment, and finally, wind rose data only. The methodology is applied to a wind farm case study using the actual SCADA data with a partially validated turbine’s aeroelastic model to obtain operational loads. The results indicate that this quick and fairly accurate approach can be used as an initial stage in identifying wind turbines across large farms, which have the largest lifetime extension potential.

Original language	English
Article number	3380
Number of pages	30
Journal	Energies
Volume	15
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/en15093380
Publication status	Published - 6 May 2022

Keywords

damage equivalent loads
fatigue damage
lifetime extension
site assessment
wind farms
wind turbine power

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10.3390/en15093380Licence: CC BY 4.0

Grieve-etal-Energies-2022-A-straightforward-approach-to-site-wide-assessment-of-wind-turbineFinal published version, 3.95 MBLicence: CC BY 4.0

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EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures
Carroll, J. (Principal Investigator), Carroll, J. (Principal Investigator), Leithead, B. (Principal Investigator), Brennan, F. (Co-investigator), Brennan, F. (Co-investigator), Campos-Gaona, D. (Co-investigator), Carroll, J. (Co-investigator), Jamieson, P. (Co-investigator), Kolios, A. (Co-investigator), Kolios, A. (Co-investigator), Leithead, B. (Co-investigator), Leithead, B. (Co-investigator), McDonald, A. (Co-investigator), McDonald, A. (Co-investigator) & Mehmanparast, A. (Co-investigator)
Ocean Winds UK Ltd, EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), The Natural Power Consultants Limited, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S, Brande
1/04/19 → 30/09/27
Project: Research - Studentship
EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind & Marine Energy Systems | Elderfield, George
Feuchtwang, J. (Principal Investigator), Leithead, B. (Co-investigator) & Elderfield, G. (Research Co-investigator)
EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council)
1/10/16 → 1/12/20
Project: Research Studentship - Internally Allocated

Cite this

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title = "A straightforward approach to site-wide assessment of wind turbine tower lifetime extension potential",

abstract = "This contribution presents a novel methodology to evaluate the lifetime extension potential of wind turbines—taking towers as the key component that preserves onshore turbines' structural integrity—as a consequence of the difference between design and site-specific loads. Specifically, attention is drawn to the site-specific wind direction distribution, which provides an additional source of lifetime extension potential. For this purpose, variants of closed-form solutions (based on the tower section{\textquoteright}s normal stress) are developed to enable fatigue damage accumulation due to fore-aft and side-to-side bending moments at any point on the tower circumference without the need for further information on tower section geometry or material properties. Based on the degree of data availability, different scenarios are defined to estimate lifetime extension potential from the accurate tower's normal stress and approximations using resultant bending moment, fore-aft bending moment, and finally, wind rose data only. The methodology is applied to a wind farm case study using the actual SCADA data with a partially validated turbine{\textquoteright}s aeroelastic model to obtain operational loads. The results indicate that this quick and fairly accurate approach can be used as an initial stage in identifying wind turbines across large farms, which have the largest lifetime extension potential.",

keywords = "damage equivalent loads, fatigue damage, lifetime extension, site assessment, wind farms, wind turbine power",

author = "Nicola Grieve and {Kazemi Amiri}, {Abbas Mehrad} and Leithead, {William E.}",

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AU - Grieve, Nicola

AU - Kazemi Amiri, Abbas Mehrad

AU - Leithead, William E.

PY - 2022/5/6

Y1 - 2022/5/6

N2 - This contribution presents a novel methodology to evaluate the lifetime extension potential of wind turbines—taking towers as the key component that preserves onshore turbines' structural integrity—as a consequence of the difference between design and site-specific loads. Specifically, attention is drawn to the site-specific wind direction distribution, which provides an additional source of lifetime extension potential. For this purpose, variants of closed-form solutions (based on the tower section’s normal stress) are developed to enable fatigue damage accumulation due to fore-aft and side-to-side bending moments at any point on the tower circumference without the need for further information on tower section geometry or material properties. Based on the degree of data availability, different scenarios are defined to estimate lifetime extension potential from the accurate tower's normal stress and approximations using resultant bending moment, fore-aft bending moment, and finally, wind rose data only. The methodology is applied to a wind farm case study using the actual SCADA data with a partially validated turbine’s aeroelastic model to obtain operational loads. The results indicate that this quick and fairly accurate approach can be used as an initial stage in identifying wind turbines across large farms, which have the largest lifetime extension potential.

AB - This contribution presents a novel methodology to evaluate the lifetime extension potential of wind turbines—taking towers as the key component that preserves onshore turbines' structural integrity—as a consequence of the difference between design and site-specific loads. Specifically, attention is drawn to the site-specific wind direction distribution, which provides an additional source of lifetime extension potential. For this purpose, variants of closed-form solutions (based on the tower section’s normal stress) are developed to enable fatigue damage accumulation due to fore-aft and side-to-side bending moments at any point on the tower circumference without the need for further information on tower section geometry or material properties. Based on the degree of data availability, different scenarios are defined to estimate lifetime extension potential from the accurate tower's normal stress and approximations using resultant bending moment, fore-aft bending moment, and finally, wind rose data only. The methodology is applied to a wind farm case study using the actual SCADA data with a partially validated turbine’s aeroelastic model to obtain operational loads. The results indicate that this quick and fairly accurate approach can be used as an initial stage in identifying wind turbines across large farms, which have the largest lifetime extension potential.

KW - damage equivalent loads

KW - fatigue damage

KW - lifetime extension

KW - site assessment

KW - wind farms

KW - wind turbine power

U2 - 10.3390/en15093380

DO - 10.3390/en15093380

M3 - Article

SN - 1996-1073

VL - 15

JO - Energies

JF - Energies

IS - 9

M1 - 3380

ER -

A straightforward approach to site-wide assessment of wind turbine tower lifetime extension potential

Abstract

Keywords

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EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind and Marine Energy Systems and Structures

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Wind & Marine Energy Systems | Elderfield, George

Cite this