Benchmarking numerical wave models for offshore wind turbine applications with steep and near-breaking waves
Predicting wave motion and the resulting hydrodynamic loads on offshore wind turbine monopiles are a key challenge in maritime engineering. One option is to conduct physical experiments. While it is true that these tests can provide valuable data, they also involve high costs of time and resources....
| Autor: | |
|---|---|
| Formato: | tesis de maestría |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/454916 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/454916 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Wind turbines Fluid dynamics Water waves Offshore wind turbine Monopile Wave motion Hydrodynamic loads Numerical models SWASH HAWASSI Morison equation Wave elevation Steep wave conditions Modeling accuracy Computational cost Offshore engineering Wind turbine foundation design Aerogeneradors Ones d'aigua Dinàmica de fluids computacional Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Enginyeria hidràulica, marítima i sanitària |
| Resumo: | Predicting wave motion and the resulting hydrodynamic loads on offshore wind turbine monopiles are a key challenge in maritime engineering. One option is to conduct physical experiments. While it is true that these tests can provide valuable data, they also involve high costs of time and resources. Another option is to implement numerical models. High accuracy Computational Fluid Dynamics methods can capture detailed flow features. However, generating long time series for statistical analysis of three-dimensional structures demands significant computing resources. As a result, these models become impractical for long duration simulations. To address these issues, the thesis evaluates two numerical wave models, SWASH and HAWASSI. The models predictions are compared with data from the Joint Industry Project on Wave Impacts on Fixed Turbines (JIP WiFi) at Deltares. The JIP WiFi experiments provide measurements of wave elevation and hydrodynamic forces on fixed monopiles under steep wave conditions. Furthermore, the thesis also applies a Morison equation based method to estimate hydrodynamic loads. This approach uses kinematics extracted from the validated numerical results. It is important to note that, although it does not reproduce detailed slamming forces as fully as a CFD solver, it still provides a rapid and practical way to estimates the hydrodynamic loads. The findings from this benchmarking study can guide offshore engineers in choosing the right balance between accuracy and computational cost. They will also be able to clarify how each modeling strategy performs in realistic conditions. Therefore, these may support safer and more cost effective designs for offshore wind foundations. |
|---|