Loads on a Jacket-Supported Wind Turbine During Hurricane Sandy Simulation

The dynamic response of a jacket-supported offshore wind turbine under coupled wind, wave, and current fields during Hurricane Sandy is the subject of this study. To illustrate the detailed procedure related to the response evaluation of a 5-MW offshore wind turbine with a jacket support structure, we consider a single site where the water depth is 50 m. Loads are computed using two simulation tools, FAST and Abaqus, with partial coupling. Aerodynamic loads on the turbine rotor are first evaluated using a wind turbine model in FAST with a fixed base; then, these rotor aerodynamic loads are applied as point loads at the top of a model of a tower that is supported by a jacket structure in Abaqus. Based on stochastic simulations, we discuss the applicability of the Abaqus jacket modeling and describe the characteristics and comparisons of the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic effects on loads on the jacket members. Details related to the structural model and soil-pile interaction model employed in the analyses are also discussed.