Offshore wind energy is a high-priority research area in the Netherlands,since it is recognised that in 2020 a large part of the installed wind
power in the Netherlands is located offshore. The offshore conditions
are quite different from the conditions on land. Especially the loads
on offshore wind turbines are quite different than on onshore wind turbines.
The loads not only originate from the wind conditions, also hydrodynamic
loads are present. For the calculations of the mechanical loads on wind
turbines ECN applies the model PHATAS. Environmental conditions are
input for this model. In the present project two computer programmes
are developed for the description of the wave fields. The first tool
(ROWS) generates a stochastic linear wave field. The second tool simulates
single non-linear waves. The difference between these models is that
the first simulates the irregular field of waves that under normal conditions
impact the turbine. These wave fields are used in fatigue load calculations
mainly. Very large waves cannot be simulated with this theory with high
accuracy; therefore the second tool should be used. This tool simulates
single large (non-linear) waves that impact the turbine. These large
waves are used to investigate extreme loads on offshore wind turbines.
In order to include hydrodynamic loading in the calculations of fatigue
loads on offshore wind turbines a time record must be generated that
describes a wave field. Using linear wave theory, ROWS generates a time
series of wave heights and the associated velocities and accelerations
of the water particles. The validation of the stochastic linear wave
generator is two-fold. Apart from the verification of the velocities
and accelerations within individual simulated waves, the spectral density
function of the generated wave field is of essential importance. Since
this function is reproduced with sufficient accuracy, the wave field
is considered to have the correct statistics.
Very large waves cannot accurately be simulated with linear theory.
A first tool based on stream functions has been developed to simulate
large waves. The stream function theory is described. The tool to calculate
the waves uses Dean?s tables. Depending on the demands of the load calculations,
several initialisations of the regular wave can be chosen. Breaking
waves are not included in the model. Although the model is limited in
its use, for water depths starting from 15m, like North Sea conditions,
most encountered waves can be modelled. Since the stream function is
solved up to a maximum of 10 modes, large waves in extremely shallow
water can therefore not be simulated. This would require more modes.
The present computer program cannot be extended. For the validation
of the non-linear wave simulator, the results of the tool are compared
with other simulation packages.
The waves around the tower of the turbine induce forces on its supporting
structure. The wave-induced forces on the underwater construction of
the wind turbine are described in the report. Both described wave models
communicate with tools to simulate mechanical loads of offshore wind
turbines (like PHATAS) through external data files. Wheeler stretching
is included in both wave simulators in order to calculate water particle
velocities and accelerations at the right positions along the supporting
structure of the wind turbine. Through the Morison equation the velocities
and accelerations are translated into forces on the offshore wind turbine.
While at the time of the definition of the project wave data were scarcely
available, RIKZ made a lot of data available in the meantime. The tools
of ECN to analyse measured wave data are useful for the analysis of
North Sea wave conditions.
The recommendations are the following. The non-linear wave simulator
is able to generate extreme waves in a large parameter space. However,
large waves in extremely shallow water can not be simulated. The present
computer program cannot be extended and as a result a different program
should be developed.
In addition, the hydrodynamic forces should be validated with measurements
on offshore wind turbines.