| 21 Feb 2025
System identification of offshore wind turbines for model updating and validation using field measurements
Abstract. This study presents an applied system identification approach for developing, updating, and validating simulation models of wind turbines using field measurements. This is demonstrated by developing a model of a bottom-fixed offshore turbine in the Belgian North Sea. An initial model is obtained based on available design information and the scaling of reference models. Afterwards, the model is calibrated by leveraging drivetrain vibration data and blade strain measurements. This is accomplished using Operational Modal Analysis techniques, which enable the identification of the turbine’s modal parameters, particularly its eigenfrequencies. By identifying the eigenmodes, the model can be updated to match the modal behaviour of the deployed turbine. Comparison with SCADA data further validates the model’s operational performance. Additionally, the obtained model is used to calculate blade pitch-bearing lifetime estimations in different wind conditions, to give insight in the detrimental effect of wind properties on the pitch-bearing lifetime, which can be used as decision support in operation and maintenance strategies for wind turbines.
Competing interests: Amir R. Nejad is member of the editorial board of the Wind Energy Science journal. The authors declare that they have no further conflicts of interest.
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