Seismic Protection of Onshore Wind Turbines using Novel Vibration Control Systems

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Published: Jan 30, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/ta.40478
Keywords:
Wind Turbine Structures Seismic Protection Vibration Control Systems Negative Stiffness Damping
Konstantinos Kapasakalis
National Technical University of Athens, School of Civil Engineering
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6619-7374
Georgios Florakis
Institute of Structural Analysis and Antiseismic Research, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-157 80 Athens, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3061-1542
Evangelos Sapountzakis
Institute of Structural Analysis and Antiseismic Research, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-157 80 Athens, Greece
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1677-3070
Abstract

As the climate crisis intensifies, the transition to renewable energy sources has become more critical than ever, with wind energy playing a key role in reducing carbon emissions and ensuring a sustainable future. To maintain the reliability of wind power infrastructure, it is essential to enhance the structural resilience of wind turbines (WT). In seismic prone regions, earthquakes can generate forces that exceed the structural strength of WT towers, leading to potential failures. This study addresses this challenge by proposing novel vibration control systems to seismically protect WT structures, ensuring stability and continued operation of wind energy infrastructure. In this paper, various vibration control systems (VCS) are implemented in a benchmark onshore wind turbine tower to enhance its seismic resilience against severe earthquakes. The employed VCS are based on the KDamper concept, an extension of the traditional Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) with the strategic introduction of negative stiffness and damping elements. The VCS are designed using a constrained optimization methodology with ground motion acceleration input based on EC8 provisions. For comparison, a TMD with 20 times higher additional mass is also evaluated. Numerical results demonstrate that the KDamper-based designs outperform the classical TMD, offering a viable solution for seismic protection of onshore WT.

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  • Earthquake Engineering
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