Study on the effect of ice-structure interaction on the dynamic response of a monopile offshore wind turbine

Abstract

Offshore wind energy is an attractive technology for renewable energy. For cold climate regions, such as Canada, Baltic Sea, Bohai Bay, ice load is one of the important dynamic loads for offshore wind turbine (OWT). This paper describes a dynamic ice-structure interaction study of a monopile-type offshore wind turbine which is commonly used in the offshore wind industry. A numerical model for icestructural interaction was implemented in the aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tool HAWC2. Both decoupled and coupled analyses were carried out considering relevant environmental conditions. The sensitivity of the response to the parameters used to describe the ice load on the turbine was examined. The characteristics of the ice load effects on the dynamic responses of the monopile OWT were discussed.