Installation of Novel Suction Bucket Foundation with New Modular Geometry in a Large-scale Set-up
Publication: Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 147, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper investigates a modular bucket foundation design developed for large offshore wind turbines. Instead of the regular round shape, the modular bucket consists of trapezoidal profiles bolted together and additional stiffeners attached to the inside skirt. The design is more cost-effective and gives much higher buckling resistance during installation compared with the standard round bucket, which serves as a reference point in the research. The paper includes both jacking installation and suction installation tests performed on a large-scale set-up at Aalborg University. The installations took place in sand of varying relative density. Each test consists of measurements for the applied force or suction and the excess pore pressure around the bucket skirt with increasing penetration depth until full installation. Results indicate that regardless of the significant increase in soil penetration resistance of modular bucket measured during jacking installation, the required suction for installation in different sand conditions is very similar for both models. The data are compared with a cone penetration test (CPT)-based method for the calculation of soil penetration resistance. The method is adjusted according to the experimental results supported by finite-element method analysis.
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Acknowledgments
The work presented in this paper forms a part of the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program (EUDP) project with a title “Offshore wind suction bucket on an industrial scale,” both part 1 and part 2 (Project No. 64015-0625 and 64018-0066). The project is in cooperation between Aalborg University, Siemens Wind Power A/S, IB Andersen Industri A/S, and Universal Foundation A/S.
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Published In
Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering
Volume 147 • Issue 4 • July 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 11, 2020
Accepted: Feb 13, 2021
Published online: Apr 29, 2021
Published in print: Jul 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Sep 29, 2021
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