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Content archived on 2024-05-07

Development of a design tool for structural reliability analyses of wind turbine components

Objective



Objectives
The objective is the development of a computer code for wind turbine manufacturers and certifying bodies to be used partly as a tool for structural reliability analyses of wind turbine components and partly as a safety factors calibration tool. The computer code will apply to fatigue failure mainly and should be able to handle both measured and calculated 10 minutes load series.
In addition it will explore how structural reliability methods can be used to analyze ultimate loads and ultimate strength instead of fatigue only. Finally, knowledge on structural reliability analyses and calibrating safety factors should be transferred to manufacturers (MICON and Aerpac) and certifying bodies (CIWI in the Netherlands via ECN, DNV in Denmark and Germanischer Lloyd in Germany). This will be done by carrying out a case study on the MICON M1500-600/150 kW wind turbine with Aerpac blades.
Technical Approach
A case study of the MICON turbine with Aerpac blades will be performed. This enables both manufacturers to implement structural reliability techniques relevant for their own particular case. Two Micon wind turbines with Aerpac blades have been chosen, one in Lutjewinkel (the Netherlands) and one in Emmerlev (Denmark). These turbines have been instrumented already for mechanical load measurements so some results of fatigue measurements will be available at the outset. The measurements in Denmark are nearly finished. The case studies consist of measuring, fatigue and ultimate loads and modelling of the turbine with time simulation programs. ECN will perform the measurements in the Netherlands and Risø in Denmark. The two case studies provide data for two different sites which together with the differences in measurement and simulation techniques give relevant input for the probabilistic analyses.
The development of the computer programmewill be done by ECN mainly with assistance from Risø, DNV and Germanischer Lloyd. Risø will have the lead on the analysis of ultimate loads together with DNV and Germanischer Lloyd. Micon and Aerpac will provide turbine data and in the interpretation of measured and calculated data, the verification and implementation of the computer code.
Expected Achievements and Exploitation
The output of the project will be:
- a measured and calculated load spectrum of the MICON turbine with Aerpac blades;
- calculated reliability levels of main components and corresponding safety factors;
- reports with procedures for analyzing ultimate loads in a probabilistic way;
- a computer code for probabilistic fatigue analyses of wind turbine components and for calibrating safety factors.

Call for proposal

Data not available

Coordinator

ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE OF THE NETHERLANDS
EU contribution
No data

Participants (4)