Real-time hybrid simulation technique for performance evaluation of full-scale sloshing dampers in wind turbines

As a variation of the pseudodynamic testing technique, the real-time hybrid simulation (RTHS) technique is executed in real time, thus allowing investigation of structural systems with rate-dependent components. In this paper, the RTHS is employed for performance evaluation of full-scale liquid sloshing dampers in multi-megawatt wind turbines, where the tuned liquid damper (TLD) is manufactured and tested as the physical substructure while the wind turbine is treated as the numerical substructure and modelled in the computer using a 13-degree-of-freedom (13-DOF) aeroelastic model. Wind turbines with 2 MW and 3 MW capacities have been considered under various turbulent wind conditions. Extensive parametric studies have been performed on the TLD, e.g., various tuning ratios by changing the water level, TLD without and with damping screens (various mesh sizes of the screen considered), and TLD with flat and sloped bottoms. The present study provides useful guidelines for employing sloshing dampers in large wind turbines, and indicates huge potentials of applying RTHS technique in the area of wind energy.