• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.43-49
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• 2014

Primarily, tower loads of a wind turbine arise from aerodynamic effect and a top head mass. But sometime asymmetric loads of rotor also affect on the tower loads. Especially ice formation on two blades out of three causes the asymmetric loads, because the ice formation on blades lead to large rotating mass imbalance. This rotating mass imbalance of rotor affects tower fatigue loads. So design load cases of ice formation on blade should be considered in the fatigue design loads of the tower according to GL guideline 2010. This paper describes the change of tower fatigue loads following increase of tower height in the condition of ice formation. Finally, the optimal operation strategy is examined in order to reduce tower fatigue design loads.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.967-988
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• 2016

Due to the significant aerodynamic interference from sub-towers and surrounding tall buildings, the wind loads and dynamic responses on main tower of three-tower connected tall building typically change especially compared with those on the isolated single tall building. This paper addresses the wind load effects and equivalent static wind loads (ESWLs) of three-tower connected tall building based on measured synchronous surface pressures in a wind tunnel. The variations of the global shape coefficients and extremum wind loads of main tower structure with or without interference effect under different wind directions are studied, pointing out the deficiency of the traditional wind loads based on the load codes for the three-tower connected tall building. The ESWLs calculation method based on elastic restoring forces is proposed, which completely contains the quasi-static item, inertia item and the coupled effect between them. Then the wind-induced displacement and acceleration responses for main tower of three-tower connected tall building in the horizontal and torsional directions are investigated, subsequently the structural basal and floor ESWLs under different return periods, wind directions and damping ratios are studied. Finally, the action mechanism of interference effect on structural wind effects is investigated. Main conclusions can provide a sientific basis for the wind-resistant design of such three-tower connected tall building.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.101-129
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• 2017

Local transient extreme wind loads caused by group tower-related interference are among the major reasons that lead to wind-induced damage of super-large cooling towers. Four-tower arrangements are the most commonly seen patterns for super-large cooling towers. We considered five typical four-tower arrangements in engineering practice, namely, single row, rectangular, rhombic, L-shaped, and oblique L-shaped. Wind tunnel tests for rigid body were performed to determine the influence of different arrangements on static and dynamic wind loads and extreme interference effect. The most unfavorable working conditions (i.e., the largest overall wind loads) were determined based on the overall aerodynamic coefficient under different four-tower arrangements. Then we calculated the one-, two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic loads under different four-tower arrangements. Statistical analyses were performed on the wind pressure signals in the amplitude and time domains under the most unfavorable working conditions. On this basis, the non-Gaussian distribution characteristics of aerodynamic loads on the surface of the cooling towers under different four-tower arrangements were analyzed. We applied the Sadek-Simiu procedure to the calculation of two- and three-dimensional aerodynamic loads in the cooling towers under the four-tower arrangements, and the extreme wind load distribution patterns under the most unfavorable working conditions in each arrangement were compared. Finally, we proposed a uniform equation for fitting the extreme wind loads under the four-tower arrangements; the accuracy and reliability of the equation were verified. Our research findings will contribute to the optimization of the four-tower arrangements and the determination of extreme wind loads of super-large cooling towers.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.609-622
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• 2015

This study presents a dynamic response analysis of operational and parked wind turbines in order to gain better understanding of the roles of wind loads on turbine blades and tower in the generation of turbine response. The results show that the wind load on the tower has a negligible effect on the blade responses of both operational and parked turbines. Its effect on the tower response is also negligible for operational turbine, but is significant for parked turbine. The tower extreme responses due to the wind loads on blades and tower of parked turbine can be estimated separately and then combined for the estimation of total tower extreme response. In current wind turbine design practice, the tower extreme response due to the wind loads on blades is often represented as a static response under an equivalent static load in terms of a concentrated force and a moment at the tower top. This study presents an improved equivalent static load model with additional distributed inertial force on tower, and introduces the square-root-of-sum-square combination rule, which is shown to provide a better prediction of tower extreme response.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.1021-1040
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• 2015

An effective method to calculate aerodynamic loads and aeroelastic responses of large wind turbine tower-blade coupled structures in yaw condition is proposed. By a case study on a 5 MW large wind turbine, the finite element model of the wind turbine tower-blade coupled structure is established to obtain the modal information. The harmonic superposition method and modified blade-element momentum theory are used to calculate aerodynamic loads in yaw condition, in which the wind shear, tower shadow, tower-blade modal and aerodynamic interactions, and rotational effects are fully taken into account. The mode superposition method is used to calculate kinetic equation of wind turbine tower-blade coupled structure in time domain. The induced velocity and dynamic loads are updated through iterative loop, and the aeroelastic responses of large wind turbine tower-blade coupled system are then obtained. For completeness, the yaw effect and aeroelastic effect on aerodynamic loads and wind-induced responses are discussed in detail based on the calculating results.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.06a
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• pp.68-71
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• 2005

In the case of wind turbine design, Optimization of tower structure is very important because tower generally takes about $20\%$ of overall turbine cost. In this paper, we calculated wind loads considering vortex shedding, and optimized tower flange using the calculation results. For optimization, we used FEM to analyze structural strength of the flange and blade momentum theory to calculate wind loads.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.9-20
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• 2018

Due to integrated stochastic wind and wave loads, the supporting platform of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) has to bear six Degrees of Freedom (DOF) motion, which makes the random cyclic loads acting on the structural components, for instance the tower base, more complicated than those on bottom-fixed or land-based wind turbines. These cyclic loads may cause unexpected fatigue damages on a FOWT. This paper presents a study on short-term fatigue damage at the tower base of a 5 MW FOWT with a spar-type platform. Fully coupled time-domain simulations code FAST is used and realistic environment conditions are considered to obtain the loads and structural stresses at the tower base. Then the cumulative fatigue damage is calculated based on rainflow counting method and Miner's rule. Moreover, the effects of the simulation length, the wind-wave misalignment, the wind-only condition and the wave-only condition on the fatigue damage are investigated. It is found that the wind and wave induced loads affect the tower base's axial stress separately and in a decoupled way, and the wave-induced fatigue damage is greater than that induced by the wind loads. Under the environment conditions with rated wind speed, the tower base experiences the highest fatigue damage when the joint probability of the wind and wave is included in the calculation. Moreover, it is also found that 1 h simulation length is sufficient to give an appropriate fatigue damage estimated life for FOWT.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.16 no.4 s.109
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• pp.420-427
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• 2006

In this study, wind loads transmitted to a transmission tower from transmission lines are mitigated using rotational viscoelastic dampers. First, the wind load characteristics in a transmission tower is investigated considering the effect of the transmission lines through stochastic analysis. The assemblage of the transmission line and insulator are modeled as a double pendulum system connected to the SDOF model of the tower. From the result of the stochastic analysis, the background component of the overturing moment caused by the wind loads acting on the transmission lines are found to have considerable portion in the total overturning moment. Based on this observation result, a strategy Installing rotational viscoelastic damper (VED) between tower arm and transmission line is proposed for the mitigation of the transmission line reactions, which play a role as dynamic loads on a transmission tower. For the purpose of verification, time history analysis is conducted for different wind velocities and VED parameters. The analysis result shows that the rotational VED is effective for the mitigation of the background component rather than the resonance component of the transmission line reactions and achieves the reduction ratio of 50% even for higher wind speed.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.191-204
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• 2018

This article presents a study of the largest-ever (height = 220 m) cooling tower using the large eddy simulation (LES) method. Information about fluid fields around the tower and 3D aerodynamic time history in full construction process were obtained, and the wind pressure distribution along the entire tower predicted by the developed model was compared with standard curves and measured curves to validate the effectiveness of the simulating method. Based on that, average wind pressure distribution and characteristics of fluid fields in the construction process of ultra-large cooling tower were investigated. The characteristics of fluid fields in full construction process and their working principles were investigated based on wind speeds and vorticities under different construction conditions. Then, time domain characteristics of ultra-large cooling towers in full construction process, including fluctuating wind loads, extreme wind loads, lift and drag coefficients, and relationship of measuring points, were studied and fitting formula of extreme wind load as a function of height was developed based on the nonlinear least square method. Additionally, the frequency domain characteristics of wind loads on the constructing tower, including wind pressure power spectrum at typical measuring points, lift and drag power spectrum, circumferential correlations between typical measuring points, and vertical correlations of lift coefficient and drag coefficient, were analyzed. The results revealed that the random characteristics of fluctuating wind loads, as well as corresponding extreme wind pressure and power spectra curves, varied significantly and in real time with the height of the constructing tower. This study provides references for design of wind loads during construction period of ultra-large cooling towers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.2
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• pp.273-283
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• 2018

Currently, the dynamic amplification effect of suction is described using the wind vibration coefficient (WVC) of external loads. In other words, it is proposed that the fluctuating characteristics of suction are equivalent to external loads. This is, however, not generally valid. Meanwhile, the effects of the ventilation rate of louver on suction and its WV are considered. To systematically analyze the effects of the ventilation rate of louver on the multi-dimensional WVC of ultra-large cooling towers under suctions, the 210 m ultra-large cooling tower under construction was studied. First, simultaneous rigid pressure measurement wind tunnel tests were executed to obtain the time history of fluctuating wind loads on the external surface and the internal surface of the cooling tower at different ventilation rates (0%, 15%, 30%, and 100%). Based on that, the average values and distributions of fluctuating wind pressures on external and internal surfaces were obtained and compared with each other; a tower/pillar/circular foundation integrated simulation model was developed using the finite element method and complete transient time domain dynamics of external loads and four different suctions of this cooling tower were calculated. Moreover, 1D, 2D, and 3D distributions of WVCs under external loads and suctions at different ventilation rates were obtained and compared with each other. The WVCs of the cooling tower corresponding to four typical response targets (i.e., radial displacement, meridional force, Von Mises stress, and circumferential bending moment) were discussed. Value determination and 2D evaluation of the WVCs of external loads and suctions of this large cooling tower at different ventilation rates were proposed. This study provides references to precise prediction and value determination of WVC of ultra-large cooling towers.