Fatigue Considerations for Repowering and Extending the Life of Wind Turbine Foundations
(Room Sunset IV - V)
28 Feb 17
4:05 PM
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5:05 PM
Wind turbines are operating systems and during their typical 20-year lifetime they experience approximately 109 load cycles. The key element with regard to repowering and extending the life of a wind turbine is the fatigue performance of the foundation.
Extension of the life of a wind turbine beyond the 20-year lifespan is an important topic for existing wind farms, particularly with the new repowering provisions in the production tax credit. Is such a life extension possible considering the accumulated fatigue damage in the turbine foundation from both the original and the repowered configurations? This paper will provide a framework for the fatigue evaluation of existing foundations for repowering purpose. Through case studies, the paper investigates fatigue damage at critical structural components of typical wind turbine foundation designs. The sensitivity of foundation parameters to the remaining life will be presented. The paper will discuss types of foundations that are more applicable for repowering and the cost-effective reinforcing methods if fatigue demand is not met by design codes.
This study presents the fatigue considerations for repowering and extending the life of wind turbine foundations. It will help answer certain important questions regarding to repowering and support current design and practice