Influence of variability and uncertainty of wind and waves on fatigue damage of a floating wind turbine drivetrain

Abstract This study investigates the effect of variability and uncertainty of wind and wave conditions on the short-term fatigue damage of a 10-MW floating wind turbine drivetrain. Global dynamic responses of a semi-submersible wind turbine are calculated by aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulations in various environmental conditions. Then, rotor and generator loads, as well as nacelle motions from the global analysis are provided to a drivetrain model to investigate its dynamics. One-hour fatigue damage of the drivetrain bearings is calculated based on the bearing loads and speeds, and the effect of uncertainties related to wind and waves is assessed. The results indicate that the variations o…