Author(s): Mikko Lensu
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Offshore wind farms; Ice conditions; Ice-structure interaction; Ice profiling sonars; Coastal radar images
Abstract: The ice conditions in the northern Baltic can be severe and especially in the Bay of Bothnia hazardous ice formations may be encountered at any location. The plans to erect offshore wind farms to the northern Baltic have increased the need to better assess the ice loads and ice induced vibrations they must encounter. To estimate these both the thickness and ridging characteristics of the ice cover and ice drift speed are needed. These can be determined by bottom mounted upward looking sonars combined with a current profiler capable of drift speed retrieval. The analyzed data consists of ice draft profile and its speed at a location, that is, data that can be used as input in calculations of wind turbine tower structural response. The profile and speed data may be extrapolated using radar images if these are obtainable from a nearby coastal radar.
Year: 2024