Evaluation of an Uncoupled Method for Analyzing the Seismic Response of Wind Turbines Excited by Wind and Earthquake Loads

Renqiang Xi, Piguang Wang, Xiuli Du, Chengshun Xu and Junbo Jia
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Renqiang Xi: The Key Laboratory of Urban Security and Disaster Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Piguang Wang: The Key Laboratory of Urban Security and Disaster Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Xiuli Du: The Key Laboratory of Urban Security and Disaster Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Chengshun Xu: The Key Laboratory of Urban Security and Disaster Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Junbo Jia: The Key Laboratory of Urban Security and Disaster Engineering of Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-27

Abstract: There is a significant interaction between wind and earthquakes for large-scaled wind turbines due to an aeroelastic effect. This study evaluates the accuracy of an uncoupled method extensively utilized to analyze the seismic response of wind turbines at the operational state. Initially, the oscillation of the blade for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW wind turbine excited by wind and wind-earthquake combination, respectively, is compared using the fully coupled method to verify the assumption in this uncoupled method. Subsequently, the influence of ground motions on the aerodynamic loadings of the rotor is discussed to evaluate the interaction between wind and earthquake loads. In addition, the accuracy of the uncoupled method is assessed by comparing the analysis results of the coupled and uncoupled methods, where different mean wind speed and equivalent aerodynamic damping ratio are considered. The results indicate that the oscillation velocity of blades and thrust on the rotor are significantly influenced by ground motions. Moreover, the amplitude of thrust variations caused by earthquakes increases monotonously with the oscillation velocity amplitude of blade-root. The errors between the two models are beyond the engineering margins for some earthquakes, such that it is difficult to optimize a consistent aerodynamic damping in the uncoupled model to accurately predict the seismic response of wind turbines.

Keywords: aeroelastic effect; seismic response; wind turbines; coupled model; uncoupled model; oscillation of the blade (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: 2020
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