Development of foundations for renewable energy technologies

可再生能源技术基础的发展

• 批准号: RGPIN-2020-06713
• 负责人: Newson, Timothy
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: University of Western Ontario
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=741377
• 关键词: Development; foundations; renewable; energy; technologies

With escalating energy demand and climate change, securing supplies of low-emission energy is a major global challenge. Although growth in the non-hydro renewable sector over the last decade has been impressive, continued renewable energy expansion in Canada is facing challenges. Canadian electricity prices are some of the lowest in the world, and whilst costs have decreased for renewable energy due to technological advances, it is still difficult for these sources to compete for market share. Most renewable energy generators (e.g. wind turbines and solar panels) are fixed to soil bodies. Environmental and self-weight loads on these devices result in complex cyclic forces that are transmitted to their foundations. Renewable energy projects need cost reductions in their foundation engineering to make them economically viable at commercial scales. This challenge is exacerbated by immaturity of some technologies (e.g. offshore wind turbines and geothermal piles), the need for increasing generating capacities (e.g. bigger wind turbines) and transitions to more aggressive conditions (difficult soils and the offshore environment). In addition, foundation design for renewables is currently based on knowledge and technology developed for other sectors and climates, and this is reflected in current design methods and our understanding of the long-term performance of these structures. The aim of this grant will be the investigation of the soil-structure interaction behavior of different renewable energy foundation. The following problems will be investigated: a) Wave and ice loading of offshore foundations for wind turbines, b) Long-term behavior of geothermal pile systems, c) Response of wind turbine monopile foundations to unsaturated, expansive clays and d) Frost action on lightly loaded piles on solar farms. Different design methods will be validated and calibrated for predicting the behavior of these foundation systems, supported by data from field testing, soil laboratory tests, scaled physical model testing and computer analysis. Appropriate loading time-histories for random environmental processes will be used to develop these predictive methods. Over the funding period, data and knowledge accrued from the research will be utilized by engineers working in the construction, energy and the offshore industries. The grant will enable the creation of (i) knowledge of foundations and geotechnical processes, (ii) databases of field-scale behavior, (iii) design and construction information, (iv) new remedial approaches and (v) data for analytical method validation that is specific to the renewable energy sector. New geotechnical challenges associated with renewable energy applications will require the optimization of current methods and development of new techniques. Developing the renewable energy sector will provide opportunities to increase economic growth, create new employment opportunities and enhance human health, wealth and security in Canada.

随着能源需求和气候变化的不断升级，确保低排放能源的供应是全球的主要挑战。尽管在过去十年中，非卫生可再生能源行业的增长令人印象深刻，但加拿大持续的可再生能源扩张仍面临着挑战。加拿大的电价是世界上最低的，尽管由于技术进步，可再生能源的成本降低了，但这些来源仍然很难争夺市场份额。大多数可再生能源发生器（例如，风力涡轮机和太阳能电池板）固定在土壤体上。这些设备上的环境和自重负载会导致复杂的循环力传递给其基础。可再生能源项目需要降低基础工程的成本，以使其在商业规模上经济上可行。某些技术（例如，海上风力涡轮机和地热桩）的不成熟，需要提高发电能力（例如更大的风力涡轮机）以及向更具侵略性的条件（困难的土壤和离岸环境）过渡，这一挑战加剧了。此外，可再生能源的基础设计目前是基于针对其他领域和气候开发的知识和技术，这反映在当前的设计方法以及我们对这些结构的长期性能的理解中。该赠款的目的是研究不同可再生能源基础的土壤结构相互作用行为。将研究以下问题：a）风力涡轮机的海上基础的波和冰负荷，b）地热桩系统的长期行为，c）风力涡轮机单托底基底对不饱和，膨胀的粘土和d）对较轻的太阳能农场的霜冻作用的反应。通过现场测试，土壤实验室测试，缩放物理模型测试和计算机分析的数据支持，将对不同的设计方法进行验证和校准，以预测这些基础系统的行为。适当的加载时间历史将用于随机环境过程来开发这些预测方法。在资金期间，研究的数据和知识将由在建筑，能源和离岸行业中工作的工程师利用。该赠款将使（i）基础和岩土工艺知识，（ii）现场规模行为的数据库，（iii）设计和施工信息，（iv）新的补救方法以及（v）针对可再生能源部门特定的分析方法验证的数据。与可再生能源应用相关的新岩土技术挑战将需要优化当前方法和新技术的开发。开发可再生能源部门将为增加经济增长，创造新的就业机会并增强加拿大人类健康，财富和安全。