SeaFD - Realistic CFD wind load computations for offshore wind turbines
SeaFD is a cluster cSBO project proposed by the von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics, VUB and SIRRIS, and resides under the SIM program Material Durability for Off-Shore (MaDurOS) of VLAIO (Vlaamse Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen), created in 2012. The SeaFD project aims to provide realistic wind load predictions for offshore wind turbines at extreme weather conditions. The Doppler-LiDAR will help to reach this goal and extend the lifetime of wind turbine drivetrain and its bearings.
SeaFD aims to:
- Investigate the impact of weather conditions on the lifetime of the wind turbine drivetrain and its bearings.
- Create a high-resolution weather model tuned to Belgian North Sea wind farms. To improve the understanding of extreme weather events in wind farms, global historical weather datasets from ECMWF and NCAR will be coupled to mesoscale weather forecasting modelling (WRF), and to Large Eddy Simulation (LES), to compute wind fields approaching wind turbines and within wind farms, at turbine scales. Once the best model settings have been found, the high-resolution weather model is ready to predict weather at long term, and to predict weather conditions at short term, i.e. 1.5 days ahead, thus helping to improve the risk management of offshore wind farms.
- Predict real-time wind turbine loading using a lower-order model for wind park operation. With the help of the weather prediction tool, CFD RANS simulations, SCADA 1 sec, LIDAR and wave buoy data, a reduced-order modelling will be set up using a machine-learning approach. The resulting tool is aimed to be used for wind park operation.
A first milestone has been reached! The Doppler-LiDAR purchased by VKI is working and ready to perform testing. It currently measures the wind velocity on a vertical profile up to 400meter over the VKI buildings.
The two LiDAR sensors of VKI and VUB will be installed at the Northwind offshore wind farm for long term measurements, spanning over a large portion of the project duration. The collected data will provide crucial information on the local weather conditions upstream and within the farm for model validation.
cSBO is short for strategic basic research for clusters. This type of project is for long term research, relatively far from market introduction, carried out by research institutes. A cSBO project concerns long term innovative research that offers a prospect for later economic and social applications in the event of scientific success. The research is relatively far from market and is carried out by research institutes. cSBO projects fit in a broader trajectory within the cluster and are not stand-alone projects.
