Session: 02-08-01 Risk and Reliability of Renewable Energy Devices 1

Paper Number: 127218

127218 - Experimental Investigation of Offshore Wind Turbine Structure on Structural Behavior Under Lateral Loads 

Growing renewable energy capacity is becoming progressively imperative as the International Energy Agency (IEA) recommends reducing carbon dioxide emissions due to ever-increasing energy demand and the environmental concerns of using fossil fuels. Wind turbines, a powerful and efficient means of generating renewable electricity, have seen exponential growth in numbers over the recent decades. Many countries are actively promoting wind turbine construction and research, but despite numerous reports of tower collapses, there has been limited progress in the field of structural reliability studies. The structural design methods commonly used for wind turbine towers, Allowable Stress Design (ASD) and Load & Resistance Factor Design (LRFD), apply the same level of structural capacity to all structural members regardless of stress components. To ensure a more robust structural design, it is advisable to consider Ultimate Limit State (ULS), which considers the potential for buckling and post-buckling behavior of the entire structure.

This study aims to investigate the comprehensive structural responses of cylinder structure as wind turbine tower considering lateral loads resulting from winds. It involves a comparative analysis of structural behavior including ultimate strength obtained from the experimental tests and numerical results (e.g., finite element method). The experiment conducted with a cantilevered cylindrical structure under lateral load. Numerical results were obtained through non-linear buckling analysis using ANSYS. In addition, this study lays the groundwork for future research, which will analyze the effects of various design parameters, such as tower height, thickness, top and bottom diameter, diameter ratio, and the dimensions of stiffeners, on ULS using the finite element techniques developed in this study.

Presenting Author: Choi Won Seok Pukyong National University

Presenting Author Biography: I am a pre-master's student working in the Ship Safety Design Laboratory at Pukyong National University in Busan, South Korea.

My current research focuses on the structural reliability of wind turbine towers. With the ever-increasing number of wind turbines being deployed for the transition to renewable energy, research to design more robust structures to prevent tower collapse is essential.

In particular, my research focuses on the effects of wind on wind turbine towers. The finite element techniques developed by testing a steel cylinder with a simplified geometry of the tower under a lateral loads and comparing it with the results of a nonlinear buckling analysis obtained through finite element analysis provides a basis for future research on structural optimization design that considers the possibility of buckling and post-buckling behavior.

Authors:

Choi Won Seok Pukyong National University
Sohn Jung Min Pukyong National University
Kim Sang Jin National Sun Yat-sen University