A feasibility study into the application of low-fidelity models for the prediction of the shell modes of a wind turbine tower with a slip joint

The slip joint connection is a relatively new alternative method for connecting offshore wind turbine towers to prior installed monopiles. It consists of two overlapping conical sections that together form a connection. There are several challenges left to be solved before the slip joint can be applied on a commercial scale. One of those...

Detecting contact areas in vibrating steel beams using Energy Flux

The world faces an increasing energy problem, forcing people to search for sustainable energy sources. Offshore wind energy has shown great potential to financially compete with traditional energy sources. Recent developments like the slip-joint connection increase this potential. However, for further optimization of the design of a slip-joint,...

Offshore Wind Turbine Installation Using a Double Slip Joint: Investigating the Installation Behavior of the Double Slip Joint During the Lowering Phase of a Wind Turbine Tower onto a Monopile

One of the challenges associated with offshore wind turbine installations is the mating phase. Aligning a transition piece onto its substructure under offshore conditions is a complicated and time-consuming procedure. Another issue found in a number of commissioned offshore wind turbines is related to the sustainability of the connection between...

Limits of Offshore Wind Turbine Installation with the Double Slip Joint: Offshore WTG Tower Lowering and Mating with a Double Slip Joint Connection Using Catchers and Tower Guidance. A Determination of Installation Limits and Exploration of Workability

In current offshore wind turbine (WTG) tower installations, bolted flange connections are common. These connections are however reaching their limit due to the maximized size of the bolts. Also, bolted connections require the motions between the tower and foundation to be limited during installation, suggesting their workability of installation...

Corrosion in Submerged Offshore Slip Joints

In order to connect a monopile to a transition piece of an offshore wind turbine efficiently, a new connection method called the Slip Joint is being developed. The Slip Joint is made out of a conical section at the top of the monopile foundation and a conical section at the bottom of the transition piece which are slid over each other to form a...

Numerical validation of experimental modal analysis of a Slip-joint connection in offshore wind turbine

To fulfil the increase in global demand of clean energy, the dimensions of offshore wind turbines are expected to increase with greater capacities and move further offshore in deep waters. For these conditions, the diameter of the monopile will have to increase beyond current manufacturing capacities. The slip joint connection can provide a...

A heat-transfer based method for slip-joint contact area measurement

Delft Offshore Turbine (DOT) is developing a new offshore wind turbine, including, amongst other innovations, a slip-joint that connects the turbine tower and monopile foundation. The slip-joint is a mechanical, friction-based connection that provides many advantages over a bolted or grouted connection, such as the ability to support high loads,...

Investigation of a slip joint connection between the monopile and tower of an offshore wind turbine

To circumvent current industry problems related to the settling of grouted connections, a steel-to-steel or slip joint connection is proposed for fitting a transition piece onto an installed monopile foundation. In the first part of this contribution, a simplified dynamic analysis of the installation of such a joint is considered. Assuming...

Investigation of a slip joint connection between the monopile and tower of an offshore wind turbine (poster)