e-Poster: Design of structural support systems: Will the offshore industry face the same existing issues in the onshore industry?
(Room Station 2)
23 Oct 19
1:00 PM
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1:15 PM
Tracks:
Foundations/Substructure
US offshore wind is happening, and the design of the structural support systems is an important item in the process. For onshore wind, at present, no single design code addresses all the necessary checks required to design a turbine foundation and the authors are not aware of any guidelines which propose a design process from beginning to end. Engineers normally draw on various parts of available standards and develop their own analysis models and methods. The usual situation is that while the engineer of record concludes that their foundation design passes all design checks, the independent engineer for project financing finds that the foundation may not be able to meet both extreme and fatigue demand. The discrepancies in the findings of the two engineers often cause delays to the project execution and project overspend. Will the US offshore industry face similar issues when it comes to the design of the structural support systems? It is even more complicated for offshore wind since there are different types of structural support systems depending on the location of the project and water depth, e.g., monopiles, jackets, and floating structures. A standard design practice applied by all engineers is in the best interests of the offshore wind industry. The authors will discuss an overview of available design codes and guidelines to identify any design issues, as well as a potential solution to the issues. The proposal is to support the offshore wind efforts in the US.