Research project foundation structural health monitoring (FSHM)
When it comes to offshore foundations, dynamic behaviour, scouring, corrosion, reduction in grout and foundation integrity over time, can be problematic. OWI-lab has a mutual R&D partnership with Belwind to perform 'foundation asset monitoring', also named SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) in civil engineering . The Belwind wind farm is located in the North Sea on the Bligh Bank, 46 km off the Belgian coast and consists of 55 Vestas V90-3MW wind turbines placed on monopile foundations. OWI-Lab has been monitoring one of these turbines since 2011 and theirefore has access to unique datasets and knowledge about structural monitoring.
Approach
The installed foundation monitoring system evaluates several parameters:
- Loads and displacements in the grouted connection
- Vibrations levels on tower and foundation in multiple directions
- Resonance frequencies and damping values of the offshore structure by the use of OMA-techniques
- Oxygen levels and corrosion rates inside the monopile foundation (in partnership with Zensor)
Link to news articles:
- Belwind wind farm and OWI Lab working together on innovative monitoring systems for offshore wind turbines foundations
- State-of-the-art and new developments in the field of structural health monitoring
Link to conference posters:
- BruWind 2012 conference: "Continuous Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) of an Offshore Wind Turbine"
- EWEA Offshore 2013 conference: "Foundation monitoring systems for optimized O&M and lifetime assessment"
- EWEA 2014 conference: "Foundation monitoring systems: analysis of 2 years of monitoring at the North Sea"
- Design verification of offshore wind turbines for foundation optimization and scour monitoring
- Damping of an offshore wind turbine: classification and comparison between simulations and measurements
- Monitoring of offshore turbines for design and O&M: an overview of the activities of OWI-Lab
