Posters

Abstract

In recent years, the offshore wind industry has experienced significant growth. The foundations supporting offshore wind turbine generators (WTGs) are crucial for the successful deployment and long-term operation of these assets. Alongside monopiles and jackets, suction caisson foundations, have gained prominence under specific site conditions.      This contribution presents an evaluation of early assessments of offshore wind turbine foundations through short-term measurement campaigns. These campaigns involve the deployment of sensors to monitor structural responses during and immediately after the installation phase. By applying operational modal analysis to distributed acceleration measurements along the structure, modal properties such as frequencies and frequency variations of the WTGs are obtained.     This data is pivotal for verifying design assumptions. Furthermore, the data offers insights into the impact of various factors on the foundation's performance such as installation methods, grout application, scour protection, and tidal variations. The results demonstrate that short-term monitoring enables the validation of installation methods and design assumptions and the refinement of numerical models. This facilitates accurate predictions of structural behaviour under diverse environmental conditions. This approach aids in identifying and mitigating potential risks during the installation process, thereby enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing costs. Furthermore, the insights gained from these campaigns support the extension of the WTGs' operational lifetimes by informing maintenance schedules and optimizing structural integrity assessments.     In conclusion, integrating short-term measurement campaigns into the offshore wind turbine installation process and early operation phase provides invaluable data for cost-effective life-cycle management, and ultimately boosting the sustainability of the offshore wind energy expansion.