Review and analysis of the failure risk mitigation via monitoring for monopile offshore wind structures

Lorena Tremps, Baran Yeter, Athanasios Kolios*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

83 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Structural health monitoring systems are gaining more attention in the offshore wind industry as they offer valuable insights into the integrity status of operating assets. Whilst most Class Society Rules and International Standards recognise the importance of implementing a condition-based maintenance strategy, they only provide theoretical guidance. Ultimately, it is the asset owner's responsibility to determine how to integrate this strategy into their broader operation and maintenance planning, including identifying which components to monitor and which monitoring techniques to employ. The present paper applies the Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality methodology to identify the most critical failure modes to prioritise for monopile offshore wind structures. Hence, the potential benefits of incorporating structural health monitoring systems within a condition-based maintenance strategy and exploiting lifetime extension possibilities are assessed. To achieve this, a novel 4-step methodology is introduced, involving understanding failure mechanisms (time-dependent behaviour and pattern), current regime (inspections at intervals), monitoring options (both direct and indirect), improvement potential evaluation through 5 key performance indicators relevant for optimal O&M, which is more comprehensive and realistic than considering only monetary consequence of failure. The study addressed the prevailing failure modes in 5 categories, namely fatigue, corrosion, deformation, buckling and displacement, and connection failure, aiming to demonstrate potential improvement in terms of risk mitigation against these failure modes. The results of this study can significantly help offshore wind developers optimise where and how to allocate their resources for structural health monitoring, resulting in long-term cost reduction opportunities.
Original languageEnglish
JournalEnergy Reports
Volume11
Pages (from-to)5407-5420
Number of pages14
ISSN2352-4847
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Keywords

  • Offshore wind energy
  • Failure mode, effects and criticaly analysis
  • Structural health monitoring systems
  • Condition-based maintenance
  • Asset integrity management
  • Offshore foundations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Review and analysis of the failure risk mitigation via monitoring for monopile offshore wind structures'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this