Offshore Windfarm Design

OE 5662

Foundations

Design of Foundation

DECK
WAVE LOAD
JACKET

20.000 mt
41.5 MN
7.200 mt

FOUNDATION

2.880 mt

128.5 m

Ringhorne platform
Norway

41.5
2

STEEL TUBULAR
DIA. 2500 mm

CONCRETE PILE
450 mm

Design of Foundation

Handbook page 5-10

Driven

Controlled
drilling

Uncontrolled
drilling

Insert pile

Grouted pile

Belled pile

Design of Foundation
Suction piles

water

- 2000m

-30 m.

Main pile
Shallow water

CRANE
STEAM
HOSES
CAGE

STEAM PRESSURE
RAM
CUSHION
ANVIL

PILE

STEAMHAMMER MRBS-12500

-30 m.

Main pile connection above water-level

8

Design

HYDRAULIC
HOSES

CRANE
HYDRAULIC
PRESSURE

RAM
ANVIL
AIR
WATER

HYDRAULIC HAMMER MHU-1700

PILE
9

Design

-135 m.

Skirt pile with free-riding

underwater hammer
10

Design
PILE

GROUT
ANNULUS

SLEEVE

PACKER
MUDLINE
MUD WIPER
11

Foundations
SWAGING

12

Design of Foundation
Egmond aan Zee Wind Farm,
The Netherlands
NACELLE
WAVE LOAD
TP

100 mt
41.5 MN
170 mt

FOUNDATION

250 mt

20 m

13

Installation of Foundation

14

Foundations
Differences Oil & Gas Platforms - Wind Turbines
Oil & Gas Platforms

Offshore Wind Turbines

- relatively stiff
- structural dynamics not

- relatively flexible

- wave loads dominant

- wind and wave loads both

important

- straight forward relation

- complex, uncorrelated
loading

- prototype

- generally large numbers

critical

force-response

- structural dynamics very

critical

15

Foundations
Design
Some differences oil/gas platform

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

wind turbine foundation

Size of loads
Ratio vertical horizontal loads
Required distance between turbines
Water depth
Breaking waves / wave slamming

16

Foundations
Design
Some differences oil/gas platform

wind turbine foundation

6.

Scour

7.

Accessibility

- maintenance / inspection

8.

GBS

- blockage, stability, scour

9.

Piles

- penetration / dimensions determined by

horizontal rather than vertical loads
( for mono-piles )
17

Foundations
Fixed

Floating

Gravity base structures

Piled

driven piles
drilled piles
suction piles

18

Foundations
Gravity foundations

Loading situation very different

from piled foundation
Substantial vertical loading
required ( stability)
Generally impractical support
structure for wind turbines in
relatively shallow water

19

Foundations
Piled foundations
Flexibility / Adaptability :
- soil conditions
- water depth
- scour
- diameter and wall thickness
- tension & compression
- penetration and number
- track record / experience
- different installation methods
20

Foundations
Design
Typical North Sea wind farm design conditions:

Relatively shallow water (10 25 m)

Generally sandy soil conditions
Walking sandbanks (Sand waves)
Scour (influence of current and waves)
Large cyclic loads on monopile

21

Design of Foundation
Design criteria & considerations
loads:
magnitude of the permanent load of the platform
wind / wave / current
ratio vertical / horizontal loads
quasi static / cyclic
water depth
sea floor
soil type
current -> scouring
fabrication, transportation & installation
available construction sites / equipment
22

Foundations
Choice of foundation type (1)
Loads

- wind / wave / current

- horizontal and vertical
- quasi static / cyclic

Water depth
Soil conditions

23

Foundations
Choice of foundation type (2)
Storage requirements
Transportation / Installation
equipment requirements
Available construction sites / equipment
Economics

24

Foundations
Laterally loaded piles
infinitely stiff

vs.

elasticity

- p-y curves
- cyclic effects
- scour (1 2D)

25

Foundations
Lateral pile behaviour

Example p-y curve for sand

26

Foundations

Conceptual model for

lateral pile behaviour

27

Foundations

Deformation of a pile
with and without head restraint

28

Foundations

Pile behaviour under lateral loading

29

Foundations
Scour

30

Foundations
Scour
Pile
0 Vertical effective soil pressure
Seabed

General scour depth

No scour condition
Local scour depth
General scour only

Local scour condition

Overburden reduction depth

31

Foundations
axially loaded piles
infinitely stiff

vs.

elasticity

- t-z curves
- cyclic degrading less
- tension < compression

32

Foundations

Typical axial pile load transfer-displacement (t-z) curves

33

Foundations

Conceptual model for axial pile behaviour

34

Foundations

pile

elastic soil

clay

sand

Pile behaviour under axial loading

35

Foundations
conventional pile

vs.

monopile

overturning moment

axial pile forces

(batter piles / vertical piles)

bending of pile
(vertical pile)
required penetration

vertical load
horizontal load

vertical load
horizontal load
(stiffness)
36

Foundations
Foundation model
-

Fixed at some distance below seabed (Effective Fixity)

Apply (un)coupled rotational and lateral spring
Determine stiffness matrix
Use enhanced foundation model

Note: soil not homogeneous ;

soil soil

37

Foundations
Foundation Model: Effective Fixity Depth
Configuration

Effective fixity
length

Stiff clay

3.5 D 4.5 D

Very soft silt

7D8D

General calculations

6D

Experience with
offshore turbines

3.3 D 3.7 D

Seabed
Effective
fixity
length

38

Foundations
Foundation Model: Uncoupled springs In exercise: Use
ANSYS Macros
Forced displacement/rotation

u
and method B for
M
F
a monopile
Tower
Method A Applied force/moment
M

Rotation

Ignore M

Ignore F

Seabed
Method B
Translations

Ignore

Ignore u
39

Foundations
Foundation Model: Stiffness Matrix
Run two load cases with FEM
model with py-curves
(See next slide)

H kx x
M = k
x

k x u

Stiffness matrix
40

Foundations
Enhanced Foundation Model
External shaft friction
(t-z curves)

Use:
Standards (API/DNV)
Existing software

Lateral resistance
(p-y curves)

Internal shaft friction

(t-z curves)

(In exercise: ANSYS Macros)

Pile plug resistence

(Q-z curves)

Pile point resistance

(Q-z curves)
41

Foundations
Pile Fabrication / transportation / lifting / positioning / driving

Fabrication

Lifting / Transportation

- D/t
pile (tip) integrity
- lifting tools
- welded appurtenances (SCFs)

Positioning

- monopiles
- jackets / towers / tripods

Driving

verticality

42

Foundations
Pile Fabrication / transportation / lifting / positioning / driving

43

Foundations
Pile Fabrication / transportation / lifting / positioning / driving

44

Foundations
Pile Fabrication / transportation / lifting / positioning / driving

45

Foundations
Pile Fabrication / transportation / lifting / positioning / driving

46