Session: 09-04-01 Wind Energy: Monopile structures

Submission Number: 157324

Preliminary Design Methodology Based on Numerical Optimization of Offshore Wind Turbine on a Monopile With Application in Offshore Brazil 

This paper proposes a numerical optimization of monopile offshore wind turbine dimensions for operation on the Brazilian coast. As investments in wind turbines have increased substantially in recent decades, the correct design of these structures for operating in offshore conditions must comply with the classification societies' requirements. The work intends to establish a methodology for the optimization procedure for designing high-power capacity (about 15 MW) wind turbines since this scenario has yet to be adequately investigated in the literature. Hence, an algorithm is developed to determine the optimized foundation, substructure, and tower characteristics so that the offshore device attends to the ultimate limit state (ULS), serviceability limit state (SLS), and fatigue limit state (FLS) to prove the feasibility of such project in Brazilian offshore scenario. This approach is considered challenging because procedures have just been applied to small-capacity wind turbines, being required to study its feasibility for larger power capacity models. Moreover, the model raises concerns about the scouring effect on the design of monopile offshore wind turbines. Case studies should be considered to define those dimensions for operating in Brazil based on meteocean data and geotechnical information for following the DNV’s (Det Norske Veritas) regarding the ultimate loads, soil loads, natural frequency of the system, and the fatigue life.

Presenting Author: Rodrigo Batista Soares Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Presenting Author Biography: He holds a degree in Naval and Ocean Engineering (2021) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and a Master's degree in Ocean Engineering (2022) from the same institution. He is currently a doctoral researcher at UFRJ. He has experience in the area of ​​Naval and Ocean Engineering and Renewable Energies, working mainly on the following topics: Wind Energy, Floating Solar Energy, Oscillating Water Column, Hydrokinetic Energy of Rivers, Oscillatory Flow, VAACT Turbine, Efficiency, Experimental Hydrodynamics and Computational Fluid Mechanics.