Integration of Degradation Processes in a Strategic Offshore Wind Farm O&M Simulation Model

Thomas Michael Welte, Iver Bakken Sperstad, Espen Høegh Sørum and Magne Lorentzen Kolstad
Additional contact information
Thomas Michael Welte: SINTEF Energy Research, Department of Energy Systems, Trondheim 7465, Norway
Iver Bakken Sperstad: SINTEF Energy Research, Department of Energy Systems, Trondheim 7465, Norway
Espen Høegh Sørum: SINTEF Energy Research, Department of Energy Systems, Trondheim 7465, Norway
Magne Lorentzen Kolstad: SINTEF Energy Research, Department of Energy Systems, Trondheim 7465, Norway

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-18

Abstract: Decision support models for offshore wind farm operation and maintenance (O&M) are required to represent the failure behavior of wind turbine components. Detailed degradation modelling is already incorporated in models for specific components and applications. However, component degradation is only one of many effects that must be captured in high-level strategic decision support models that simulate entire wind farms. Thus, for practical applications, a trade-off is needed between detailed degradation modelling and the level of simplicity of input data representation. To this end, this paper discusses two alternative approaches for taking into account component degradation processes in strategic offshore wind farm O&M simulation models: (1) full integration of the degradation process in the O&M simulation model; and (2) loose integration where the degradation process is translated into simplified input to the O&M model. As a proof-of-concept, a Markov process for blade degradation has been considered. Simulations using the NOWIcob O&M model show that the difference between full and loose integration is small in terms of aggregated output parameters such as average wind turbine availability and O&M costs. Although loose integration models some effects less accurately than full integration, the former is more flexible and convenient, and the accuracy is for most purposes sufficient for such O&M models.

Keywords: offshore wind energy; maintenance; degradation; deterioration; simulation model; asset management; condition-based maintenance; inspections (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/7/925/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/7/925/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:10:y:2017:i:7:p:925-:d:103519

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().