Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines
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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines SPECIAL Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation REPORT 305 Special Report 305 Special Report The United States is poised to begin building its first offshore wind energy power projects. To facilitate the orderly development of offshore wind energy and support the stable economic development of this nascent industry, the United States needs Structural Integrity a set of clear requirements that can accommodate design development. In this study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE), the committee recom- of Offshore mends that BOEMRE develop a set of performance requirements that establish goals and objectives with regard to structural integrity, environmental performance, and energy generation. Because the committee found that the risks to human life and the Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines Wind Turbines environment associated with offshore wind farms are substantially lower than for other industries such as offshore oil and gas, it suggests that an approach with significantly less regulatory oversight may be taken for offshore wind farms. Under this approach, indus- Oversight of Design, try would be responsible for proposing sets of standards, guidelines, and recommended Fabrication, and Installation practices that meet the performance requirements established by BOEMRE. Also of Interest Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, National Research Council, ISBN 978-0-309-13708-9, 388 pages, 8 x 10 paperback, 2010, $49.95 Great Lakes Shipping, Trade, and Aquatic Invasive Species TRB Special Report 291, ISBN 978-0-309-11313-7, 202 pages, 6 x 9, paperback, 2008, $34.00 Risk of Vessel Accidents and Spills in the Aleutian Islands: Designing a Comprehensive Risk Assessment TRB Special Report 293, ISBN 978-0-309-11332-8, 225 pages, 6 x 9, paperback, 2008, $36.00 Tackling Marine Debris in the 21st Century Ocean Studies Board, National Research Council, ISBN 978-0-309-12697-7, 218 pages, 6 x 9 paperback, 2008, $47.75 TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES MARINE BOARD Chair: Michael S. Bruno, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey Vice Chair: Thomas M. Leschine, University of Washington, Seattle Steven R. Barnum, Hydrographic Consultation Services, Suffolk, Virginia Jerry A. Bridges, Virginia Port Authority, Norfolk Mary R. Brooks, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada James C. Card, Maritime Consultant, The Woodlands, Texas Stephen M. Carmel, Maersk Line Limited, Norfolk, Virginia Edward N. Comstock, Raytheon Company, Sudbury, Massachusetts Stephan Toni Grilli, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Douglas J. Grubbs, Crescent River Port Pilots Association, Metairie, Louisiana Frederick J. Harris, General Dynamics, San Diego, California Judith Hill Harris, City of Portland, Maine John R. Headland, Moffatt & Nichol Engineers, New York, New York John M. Holmes, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, California Ali Mosleh, University of Maryland, College Park George Berryman Newton, QinetiQ North America, Marstons Mills, Massachusetts Patrick Ernest O’Connor, BP America, Inc., Houston, Texas Robert W. Portiss, Tulsa Port of Catoosa, Oklahoma Peter K. Velez, Shell International Exploration and Production, Inc., Houston, Texas John William Waggoner, HMS Global Maritime, New Albany, Indiana TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2011 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OFFICERS Chair: Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore Division Chair for NRC Oversight: C. Michael Walton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Texas, Austin (Past Chair, 1991) Vice Chair: Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson Executive Director: Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board SPECIAL REPORT 305 Structural Integrity of Offshore Wind Turbines Oversight of Design, Fabrication, and Installation Committee on Offshore Wind Energy Turbine Structural and Operating Safety TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES Transportation Research Board Washington, D.C. 2011 www.TRB.org Transportation Research Board Special Report 305 Subscriber Categories: Energy; bridges and other structures Transportation Research Board publications are available by ordering individual publi- cations directly from the TRB Business Office, through the Internet at www.TRB.org or national-academies.org/trb, or by annual subscription through organizational or indi- vidual affiliation with TRB. Affiliates and library subscribers are eligible for substantial discounts. For further information, contact the Transportation Research Board Business Office, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001 (telephone 202-334-3213; fax 202-334-2519; or e-mail [email protected]). Copyright 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance. This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to the pro- cedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. This study was sponsored by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Interior. Cover design by Debra Naylor, Naylor Design, Inc. Cover photo: Middelgrunden offshore wind turbines in the strait of Øresund, outside Copenhagen harbor, Denmark. (Photo by Tore Johannesen, iStockphoto.) Typesetting by Circle Graphics. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Offshore Wind Energy Turbine Structural and Operating Safety. Structural integrity of offshore wind turbines : oversight of design, fabrication, and installation / Committee on Offshore Wind Energy Turbine Structural and Operating Safety, Marine Board, Transportation Research Board of the National Academies. p. cm. — (Transportation research board special report ; 305) 1. Offshore structures— Design and construction—Safety measures—Government policy—United States. 2. Wind turbines—Design and construction—Safety measures—Government policy— United States. 3. Wind power plants—United States—Safety measures. 4. Electric power-plants, Offshore—United States—Safety measures. I. Title. TC1665.N38 2011 621.4′53—dc22 2011004767 ISBN 978-0-309-16082-7 The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a man- date that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meet- ing national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Insti- tute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide lead- ership in transportation