• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 2022

Recently, the development of offshore wind farms based on past technical experiences from onshore wind turbine installations has become a worldwide issue. This study investigated the technical issues related to offshore wind farms and large-diameter monopiles from an economic perspective. In particular, the monopile foundation system (MFS), which is the most important part of the proposed fast construction system, is applied for the first time in Korea, and structural verification is essential because it supports large-diameter monopiles and is in charge of excavation. Therefore, in this study, a rapid construction system for large offshore wind power generators was introduced, and stability verification was performed through the structural analysis of the MFS.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.167-178
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• 2024

The natural frequency shift under cyclic environmental loads is a key issue in the design of monopile-based offshore wind power turbines because of their dynamic sensitivity. Existing evidence reveals that the natural frequency shift of the turbine system in sand is related to the varying foundation stiffness, which is caused by soil deformation around the monopile under cyclic loads. Therefore, it is an urgent need to investigate the effect of soil deformation on the system frequency. In the present paper, three generalized geometric models that can describe soil deformation under two-way cyclic loads are proposed. On this basis, the cycling-induced changes in soil parameters around the monopile are quantified. A theoretical approach considering three-spring foundation stiffness is employed to calculate the natural frequency during cycling. Further, a parametric study is conducted to describe and evaluate the frequency shift characteristics of the system under different conditions of sand relative density, pile slenderness ratio and pile-soil relative stiffness. The results indicate that the frequency shift trends are mainly affected by the pile-soil relative stiffness. Following the relevant conclusions, a design optimization is proposed to avoid resonance of the monopile-based wind turbines during their service life.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.74-85
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• 2024

Offshore wind turbines are supported by various foundations, each with its considerations in design and construction. Gravity, monopile, and suction bucket foundations encounter geotechnical issues, while jacket and tripod foundations face fatigue problems. Considering this, a gravity foundation based on a steel skirt was developed, and a monopile foundation was analyzed for Pile-Soil Interaction using the p-y curve and 3D finite element method (3D FEM). In addition, for suction bucket foundations, the effects of lateral and vertical loads were analyzed using 3D FEM and centrifuge tests. Fatigue analysis for jacket and tripod foundations was conducted using a hotspot stress approach. Some hybrid foundations and shape optimization techniques that change the shape to complement the problems of each foundation described above were assessed. Hybrid foundations could increase lateral resistance compared to existing foundations because of the combined appendages, and optimization techniques could reduce costs by maximizing the efficiency of the structure or by reducing costs and weight. This paper presents the characteristics and research directions of the foundation through various studies on the foundation. In addition, the optimal design method is presented by explaining the problems of the foundation and suggesting ways to supplement them.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.15 no.9
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• pp.47-58
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• 2014

This study explores methods for modeling the foundation-seabed interaction needed for the load analysis of an offshore wind energy system. It comprises the comparison study of foundation design load analyses for NREL 5 MW turbine according to various soil-foundation interaction models by conducting the load analysis with GH-Bladed, analysis software for offshore wind energy systems. Furthermore, the results of the aforementioned load analysis were applied to foundation analysis software called L-Pile to conduct a safety review of the foundation cross-section design. Differences in the cross-section of a monopile foundation were observed based on the results of the fixed model, winkler spring and coupled spring models, and the analysis of design load cases, including DLC 1.3, DLC 6.1a, and DLC 6.2a. Consequently, under all design load conditions, the diameter and thickness of the monopile foundation cross-section were found to be 7 m and 80 mm, respectively, using the fixed and coupled spring models; the results of the analysis conducted using the winkler spring model showed that the diameter and thickness of the monopile foundation cross-section were 5 m and 60 mm, respectively. The study found that the soil-foundation interaction modeling method had a significant impact on the load analysis results, which determined the cross-section of a foundation. Based on this study, it is anticipated that designing an offshore wind energy system foundation taking the above impact into account would reduce the possibility of a conservative or unconservative design of the foundation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.585-598
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• 2022

The monopile-friction wheel hybrid foundation is an innovative solution for offshore structures which are mainly subjected to large lateral eccentric load induced by winds, waves, and currents during their service life. This paper presents an extensive numerical analysis to investigate the lateral load and moment bearing performances of hybrid foundation, considering various potential influencing factors in sand-overlaying-clay soil deposits, with the complex lateral loads being simplified into a resultant lateral load acting at a certain height above the mudline. Finite element models are generated and validated against experimental data where very good agreements are obtained. The failure mechanisms of hybrid foundations under lateral loading are illustrated to demonstrate the effect of the friction wheel in the hybrid system. Parametric study shows that the load bearing performances of the hybrid foundation is significantly dependent of wheel diameter, pile embedment depth, internal friction angle of sand, loading eccentricity (distance from the load application point to the ground level), and the thickness of upper sandy layer. Simplified empirical formulae is proposed based on the numerical results to predict the corresponding lateral load and moment bearing capacities of the hybrid foundation for design application.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2010.11a
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• pp.184.2-184.2
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• 2010

With growing of wind turbine industry, offshore wind turbine system is getting more attention in recent years. Foundation of the offshore wind turbine plays a key role in stability of whole system. In this work, 5MW NREL reference wind turbine with rated speed of 11.4m/s is used for load calculation. Wind loads and wave loads are evaluated using GH-Bladed (Garard Hassan) and FAST (NREL). Additionally, FE simulation is carried out to investigate the wave effect on the support structure. Meanwhile, this work is trying to systematize and optimize load cases simulation for foundation of wind turbine system.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.39-46
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• 2010

With growing of wind turbine industry, offshore wind energy is getting more attention in recent years. Among all the components of offshore wind turbines, the foundation of the offshore wind turbine plays a key role in stability of whole system. In this work, the 5 MW NREL reference wind turbine with rated speed of 11.4 m/s is used for load calculation. Wind and wave loads are calculated using GH-Bladed (Garard Hassan) and FAST (NREL). Additionally, FE simulation is carried out to investigate the wave effect on the support structure. Meanwhile, this work is to simulate systemic and optimized load cases for the foundation analysis of wind turbine system.

• Korean Journal of Computational Design and Engineering
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.193-209
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• 2015

For reasons such as global warming, depletion of fossil fuels and the danger of nuclear energy the research and development of renewable energy is actively underway. Wind energy has advantages over another renewable energy in terms of location requirements, energy efficiency and reliability. Nowadays the research and development area is expanded to offshore because it can supply more wind reliability and free from noise pollution. In this study, the monopile offshore wind turbine transportation and installation (T&I) process are investigated. In addition, the schedule and cost for the process are estimated by discrete event simulation. For the simulation, simulation models for various means of T&I are developed. The optimum T&I execution plan with shortest duration and lowest cost can be found by using different mission start day and T&I means.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.343-350
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• 2015

Extensive discussion on the optimal types of offshore wind turbine(OWT) among monopile, tripod and jacket in the intermediate depth of water has been actively carried out in worldwide wind turbine industry. Selecting the optimal types of OWT among several substructural types, it is required to consider the economic and technical feasibility including dynamically stable design of a wind turbine system. In this study, the effects of loading levels and uncertainties of soil properties on the natural frequency of OWT have been quantitatively investigated. In conclusion, the natural frequency of monopile-type OWTs has a significant level of uncertainty, hence it is very important to minimize the level of uncertainties in soil properties when the monopile is selected as a foundation for an OWT.