Note: This talk is available over Zoom.

Title: Flow-Induced Oscillations of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

Abstract: It is well understood that conventional energy sources, i.e. petroleum, coal and natural gas, are polluting the environment and causing global warming which has and will continue to change weather patterns and accelerate the rate at which arctic ice melts, raising the water level and acidity of the oceans and endangering many lives. It is imperative that we develop and maintain alternative energy solutions, such as wind energy. Interest in developing offshore wind energy exists in coastal areas because of the proximity of offshore wind resources to populated urban cities, the potential for local economic benefits, and superior wind resources. One challenge to offshore wind turbines is that they are subjected to variable flow speeds from all directions. These flows can cause flow-induced oscillations that will have a deleterious effect on the fatigue life of the turbine blades and catenary lines. In this presentation, I will discuss experimental research that seeks to better understand the types of flow induced oscillations that wind turbine blades and catenary lines may experience. Specifically, we observed vortex-induced vibrations and coupled-mode flutter while testing scaled wind turbine blades and mono and multi-frequency vortex-induced vibrations acting on a flexible cylinder that resembles a single catenary line.

Bio: Dr. Bridget Benner is currently a Hibbitt Engineering Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Engineering at Brown University. She is also a member of the Breuer Lab led by Professor Kenny Breuer. She received an Associates Degree in Engineering from Bunker Hill Community College as well as her B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst under the advisement of Professor Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi. Whilst a graduate student, Bridget was awarded the Edwin V. Sisson Doctoral Fellowship, the Spaulding-Smith Fellowship, the Kenneth A. Lloyd Fellowship and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. She was also involved in numerous organizations, serving as the Outreach Committee Chair for the UMass chapter of Graduate Women in STEM, a member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Group, a member of the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Graduate Leadership Council, and she volunteered her time for various outreach events and panels.