Offshore wind energy is envisaged to play a central role in reducing the negative environmental impacts of electricity generation over the coming decades. The vast majority of offshore wind turbines constructed until now have utilised fixed foundation systems, which are suitable primarily for deployment in water depths of less than approximately 60m. However, Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) can unlock superior wind power generation potential from deeper, more remote offshore waters. This is of particular importance to both Ireland and the USA, where the availability of coastal regions with water depths suitable for fixed-foundation turbines is limited. However, there are several engineering dynamics related problems that make the development of FOWTs particularly challenging. The design of a FOWT is a coupled aerodynamics, structural dynamics, hydrodynamics and servo-dynamics problem, with further difficulties related to identification of structural properties and design of subsea components. Furthermore, many conventional vibration control approaches are not suitable due to the need to limit structural mass. This talk will outline these challenges in detail and discuss recent and ongoing research in this field conducted at Trinity College Dublin
Brian Broderick is associate dean of research and a professor in civil, structural and environmental engineering at Trinity College Dublin. His research involves the integrated mathematical-information modeling of complex systems in the built environment, especially the effects of environmental loads (earthquake and wind) on engineering structures.
Breiffni Fitzgerald is an associate professor in the department of civil, structural and environmental engineering at Trinity College Dublin. His research interests include structural dynamics and control of wind turbines, dynamics and damping of structures, and control theory. His work focuses on developing and applying advanced structural dynamics and control engineering theories to wind energy technologies, increasingly incorporating data-driven methods and machine learning.
John Hickey is an assistant professor in structural engineering at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. His primary research interests are in structural dynamics and vibrations, especially in novel civil engineering structures and renewable energy applications. Specifically, he is interested in understanding and quantifying the role of uncertainties in structural dynamics problems in these areas.