Introduction seminar to the new study program in 'Offshore Wind Energy' organized by the Faculty of Engineering Technology of the KU Leuven and the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Ghent (UGent). Goals of the seminar was to give an overview of the current developments in the Belgian Offshore Wind industry. This seminar gave an overview in fields such as offshore wind energy technology, grid integration & operation and maintenance. My contribution gave an overview of the current drivers, technological evolutions, ongoing market trends and technical challenges within this relative new industry. Also insights in reliability issues, risk mitigation pathways and case studies from testing and monitoring projects within OWI-Lab have been presented.

1. Seminar Offshore Wind Energy
Greenbridge Oostende – 04/06/2015
The importance of test and monitoring solutions
to increase resilience and mitigate risk for
offshore wind turbine systems
Pieter Jan Jordaens
Business development & Innovation – Sirris, department OWI-Lab
pieterjan.jordaens@owi-lab.be / www.owi-lab.be

2. Content of this presentation
1) Introduction Sirris & OWI-Lab
2) Short review on offshore wind energy
- Drivers
- Technological Evolution
- Market trends
- Challenges
3) Reliability issues
4) Risk mitigation pathways
5) Test & monitoring examples

3. Sirris – collective technology centre
 Non-profit Belgian technology centre
 Mission: to support companies with
implementing technology innovations
 160 engineers and scientists
 Multidisciplinary R&D and innovation projects
 Mainly for Belgian companies (SME & Large)
 Also shared R&D projects with EU companies
 High tech R&D infrastructure

4. Sirris – collective technology centre

5. Department OWI-Lab
Open
R&D&I
Platform
Research
test &
monitoring
infrastructure
Collaborative
R&D &
Innovation
projects
Industry Academic institutes

6. http://www.owi-lab.be/content/climate-chamber-testing

7. OWI-Lab Offering:
 Structural Health Monitoring
 Foundations
 OHVS structures
 Thermal camera monitoring
 Condition Monitoring (CMS)
 Performance Monitoring
 Design Verification Measurements
 Vibration measurements
http://www.owi-lab.be/content/services

8. 2
2
2

9. Why OWI-Lab and need for R&D?

10. Content of this presentation
1) Introduction Sirris & OWI-Lab
2) Short review on offshore wind energy
- Drivers
- Technological Evolution
- Market trends
- Challenges
3) Reliability issues
4) Risk mitigation pathways
5) Test & monitoring examples

11. 2.488 = Number of offshore wind turbines in
Europe at the end of 2014
8.759 GW = The amount of offshore wind power
installed globally at the end of 2014
More than 91% (8,045 MW) of all offshore wind
installations can be found in European waters

12. Overview technology progress & key trends:
 Two main drivers in wind turbine technology to date
1 2

13. 36 8 3 10
Size & MW evolution
Source: OWI-Lab - overview 2014

14. Siemens 6MW blade: 75m
vs. A380 wing span

15. 73,5m
V52-850kW
Hub height 54m

16. 100m
83,5m
80m

17. Two main drivers in wind turbine
technology to date

18. 100€/MWh (Target Dong Energy)
Drivers for wind energy R&D

19. 100€/MWh (Target Dong Energy)
Drivers for wind energy R&D

20. LCOE Offshore Wind Energy
Timeline LCOE OFFSHORE
LCOE 2012 ± 173€/MWh – 185€/MWh
(2 x onshore)
LCOE 2020 (forecast) ± 100€/MWh – 123.5€/MWh
LCOE 2030 (forecast) ± 86€/MWh – 99€/MWh
Grid parity reached for average wind farm * After 2020
* Depending on oil & gas prices; siting; CO2 tax,…
Sources : The Crown Estate, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
“Offshore wind power is an industry
15 years behind onshore in terms of maturity”
 innovation needed !

21. Cost history - CAPEX €/MW installed
Near-shore wind turbine (1,8km)
450kW / OEM: Bonus

22. LCOE Offshore Wind Energy
OFFSHORE CAPEX
Source: ZF Wind Power Antwerp NV
Inauguratin climate chamber
OFFSHORE OPEX
 OFFSHORE 25% - 30% of LCOE
44.8€/MWh – 53.7€/MWh (gem.)
 ONSHORE:
 1980: 50€/MWh ≈ offshore now
 2011: 11€/MWh
Source: ECN, O&M Workshop Oostende
Bloomberg New Energy Finanance

23. Overview technology progress & key trends

24. Good practices to lower LCOE
“Reduce the cost of installation”

25. Good practices to lower LCOE
“Reduce weight; Increase capacity”
Vs.
250MW

26. Good practices to lower LCOE
“Higher reliability & improved O&M”
Advanced testing & test methodologies
Advanced O&M tools & improved monitoring tools

27. Good practices to lower LCOE
“Higher reliability & improved O&M”
LPF definition: Percentage of MWh loss
during downtime out of total Possible
Production

28. Overview technology progress & key trends:
Past growth & future prediction
Consolidation
…

29. Overview technology progress & key trends
- Business normalization
- New markets
- Cold climate
- Hot / Tropical climate
- …

30. Overview technology progress & key trends
Risky business – “only the strong survive”

31. Overview technology progress & key trends:
Challenges for offshore wind
Do we understand the real loads in these
harsh environments where offshore wind turbines
are installed?
Vibration levels, Temperatures (cold & warm) , Humidity,
Electromagnetic noise,…

32. Offshore wind Offshore Oil & Gas

33. Overview technology progress & key trends:
Challenges for offshore wind
A wind turbine is a very dynamic system,
and it’s dynamics are depending on
environmental loads in combination with
it’s operational status

34. Tacoma Narrows Bridge 1940
Wind induced vibrations

35. Overview technology progress & key trends:
Challenges for offshore wind
New markets? Baltic Sea and Arctic Offshore
Wind farms pose even bigger technical challenges

36. Brittle fracture: Liberty ships 1943
- Cold North Sea Water
1943: #20
1944: #120

37. Robustness optimization
Source: Vestas

38. Lessons from automotive testing

39. Content of this presentation
1) Introduction Sirris & OWI-Lab
2) Short review on offshore wind energy
- Drivers
- Technological Evolution
- Market trends
- Challenges
3) Reliability issues
4) Risk mitigation pathways
5) Test & monitoring examples

40. ‘Small defects & damages’
Reliability issues: offshore wind is not
immune for faults & errors

41. ‘Small defects & damages’

42. ‘Failure of large components’

43. Corrosion Tower failure
Suction bucket foundation failure - buckling Blade failure

45. Failure rate per component (1)
Source: ReliaWind
2008-2011

46. Downtime rate per component (1)
Source: ReliaWind
2008-2011

47. Failure rate per component (2)

48. Down-time rate per component (2)

49. Electrical & Mechanical failure causes

50. Summary of Reliawind – Critical
Subassemblies & Highest Failure Modes

51. Case study Teesside Offshore Wind Farm – January 2014

52. Case study Teesside Offshore Wind Farm – January 2014

53. Message with regard to this topic of
wind turbine failures & reliability issues

56. Take wind turbine failures in perspective

57. It takes time to reach a mature
technology
Brothers Wright – First flight
1903
Airbus – First flight - 2005
102 years of development

58. 1991
First offshore wind farm
(nearshore)
450 kW turbines
4.95MW farm
22 years of development
2013
One of the latest offshore wind farms 6.5
MW turbines
325MW farm

59. How to increase resilience and
mitigate the Risk?
Risk mitigation pathways

60. Increasing Reliability and reducing Operation Costs
1 2
Specification
for the right environment

61. Increasing Reliability and reducing Operation Costs

62. Testing according the V-cycle

64. Different test rig concepts & test procedures
1
1
2
2 3 3

65. Example 1: end-of-line test

66. Example 2: end-of-line test

67. Example 3: Development test (climatic test multi-MW gearbox

68. Link aerospace testing

69. Example 4 : Development test
RWTH Aachen

72. Content of this presentation
1) Introduction Sirris & OWI-Lab
2) Short review on offshore wind energy
- Drivers
- Technological Evolution
- Market trends
- Challenges
3) Reliability issues
4) Risk mitigation pathways
5) Test & monitoring examples

73. Increasing Reliability and reducing Operation Costs
1 2
Specification
for the right environment

74. Maintenance approaches in general
1. Reactive or corrective maintenance
(run to failure)
2. Preventive maintenance
(time based)
3. Predictive maintenance
(condition based - CMS)
Trend for offshore wind O&M
New project @ OWI-Lab:
Offshore Wind Operations
& Maintenance Excellence

75. The dream…
“See the bullet coming approach”
Count down approach with
respect to lifetime &
lifetime consumption
- a combination of using
real time data with advanced
simulation models
Expected lifetime based
on loading history: 11 years
Exceptional values
measured on: 05-12-14

76. The dream…
“See the bullet coming approach”
Count down approach with
respect to lifetime &
lifetime consumption
- a combination of using
real time data with advanced
simulation models
Next critical repair:
Before 4 months
Target repair: Hspeed shaft

77. The aim of Prediction Maintenance
 Avoiding costly failures in advance
 Plan maintenance with minimum lost production

78. Predictive maintenance
Real time monitoring
Of different components
 CMS drivetrain
 CMS electrical
 SHM
 Icing
 …
Identify deviations
in performance
 CMS drivetrain
 CMS electrical
 SHM
 Icing
 …
+ decision support
tools
Optimal maintenance
planning based on
weather forecasts
to minimize lost
production
Data & events
are used to improve
prediction models
(Simulation & real time coupled)

79. Business case EXAMPLE HVDP

80. Trends – Additional Instrumentation

81. Learning from other industries

82. Learning from other industries: SHM @ OWI-Lab R&D

83. Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLY2mLlka-s

84. Synergies in approach & technology

85. In-the-field tests to evaluate structural performance
of an offshore wind turbine

86. Benchmark other industry:in-flight flutter test to
evaluate structural performance
Check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLY2mLlka-s

88. http://www.24sea.eu/

89. Finisher: BIG DATA TREND

90. Predictive analytics for
the power industry:
‘A cemetery of data, or
a goldmine of
opportunities?
www.owi-lab.be  Projects  VIS O&M Excellence
http://www.owi-lab.be/content/vis-project-owome-offshore-wind-operations-maintenance-excellence
Offshore Wind Operations
&
Maintenance Excellence

91. Thank you for your attention!
Contact: pieterjan.jordaens@owi-lab.be
pieterjan.jordaens@sirris.be
+32 491345382
www.sirris.be
Group: Offshore Wind Infrastructure
Application Lab (OWI-Lab)
@OWI_lab
www.owi-lab.be/