A computational platform for considering the effects of aerodynamic and seismic load combination for utility scale horizontal axis wind turbines

• Published in: Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration Vol. 15; no. 1; pp. 91 - 102
• Main Authors: Asareh, Mohammad-Amin, Prowell, Ian, Volz, Jeffery, Schonberg, William
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Harbin Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration 01-03-2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aerodynamics; Alternative energy sources; Civil Engineering; Computation; Control; Damping; Dynamical Systems; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earthquake engineering; Earthquakes; Estimating; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Loads (forces); Platforms; Seismic activity; Seismic hazard; Seismic phenomena; Simulation; Turbines; Vibration; Wind; Wind power; 地震危险; 实用新型; 抗震设计; 水平轴; 空气动力载荷; 荷载组合; 风力发电机组; 风力涡轮机; coupled simulations; horizontal axis wind turbines; renewable energy; aerodynamic-seismic load interaction; aerodynamic damping
• ISSN: 1671-3664; 1993-503X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11803-016-0307-3

The wide deployment of wind turbines in locations with high seismic hazard has led engineers to take into account a more comprehensive seismic design of such structures. Turbine specific guidelines usually use simplified methods and consider many assumptions to combine seismic demand with the other operational loads effecting the design of these structures. As the turbines increase in size and capacity, the interaction between seismic loads and aerodynamic loads becomes even more important. In response to the need for a computational tool that can perform coupled simulations of wind and seismic loads, a seismic module is developed for the FAST code and described in this research. This platform allows engineers working in this industry to directly consider interaction between seismic and other environmental loads for turbines. This paper details the practical application and theory of this platform and provides examples for the use of different capabilities. The platform is then used to show the suitable earthquake and operational load combination with the implicit consideration of aerodynamic damping by estimating appropriate load factors.