Comparative Analysis on the Design Conditions for Offshore Wind Power Structures in the Coastal Sea of Korea

Offshore wind power structures are subject to coastal hydrodynamic loading such as wind and wave loads. A considerable number of turbines have been installed in Europe, but so far none in Korea. Interest in offshore wind energy is growing in Korea, and it is expected that projects will reach the design stage in the near future. This paper discusses the level of structural reliability implied by the design rules of ABS(2010, 2013) and IEC(2009). Metocean conditions in 4 Korean seas(Gunsan, HeMOSU 1, Mokpo, Jeju) were used in the calibrations to calculate the aerodynamic and hydrodynamic loads as well as the structural responses of the typical designs of offshore wind turbines. Due to the higher variability of the wind and wave climate in hurricane-prone areas, applying IEC strength design criteria in combination with Korea west sea conditions could result in a design with much lower reliability index than what is anticipated from a design in European waters. To achieve the same level of safety as those in European waters, application of ABS 100 year design standards are recommended. Level-1 reliability-based design suitable for the Korean sea state conditions should be introduced because the IEC standards does not consider the typhoon effects in depth and the ABS standards is a WSD design method. In addition, the design equation should be established based on the statistical characteristics of the wind and wave loads of the Korean sea areas.