Monopiles in offshore wind: Preliminary estimate of main dimensions

Offshore wind industry is having a great development. It requires progress in many aspects to achieve the sustainable progress of this technology. One of those aspects is the design of foundation, sub-structures and support structures. The most used at present, with more than 80%, is the monopile. T...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ocean engineering 2017-03, Vol.133, p.253-261
Main Authors: Negro, Vicente, López-Gutiérrez, José-Santos, Esteban, M. Dolores, Alberdi, Pablo, Imaz, Mario, Serraclara, José-María
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Diameter
Foundation
Length
Sub-structures
Support-structures
Weight
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Summary:Offshore wind industry is having a great development. It requires progress in many aspects to achieve the sustainable progress of this technology. One of those aspects is the design of foundation, sub-structures and support structures. The most used at present, with more than 80%, is the monopile. Typical piles used in quays in maritime engineering have a maximum diameter about 2 or 3m. In offshore wind, the diameter can be more than double. There is a risk associated with the difference in scale. Some formulas used for the design of typical piles with diameter less than 2m can be unsuitable for larger diameter piles. This paper is focused on giving a first estimate of length and weight of piles for knowing its diameter. There are formulas for that for piles with diameters up to 2m, but there are doubts about whether they can be used for piles with larger diameters. To achieve it, a database gathering offshore wind farms in operation with monopiles is prepared in order to obtain simple formulas relating those parameters. Furthermore, the results of that formula are compared with traditional formula used in maritime engineering for piles with diameters less than 2m. •Offshore wind monopiles have different scale than piles used in coastal engineering.•There are uncertainties in the design of offshore wind monopile foundations.•Simple formulas are developed to estimate the length and weight knowing the diameter.•Driving length–diameter formula is compared with Davisson & Robison traditional one.•Formulas are developed based on offshore wind monopile database statistical analysis.
ISSN:0029-8018
1873-5258
DOI:10.1016/j.oceaneng.2017.02.011