In addition to LUH, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, the German Aerospace Center and the Technical Universities of Dresden and Darmstadt are participating in the project. At LUH, the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geodetic Science, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics are involved. Most of the participating institutes at Leibniz University Hannover and Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg already conduct joint research within the scope of the research collaboration ForWind. The CRC received approximately 8.5 million euros in funding from 2021 to 2024. The second funding period will run from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028.
Results from the first funding period
Among other things, the researchers have so far provided an initial digital twin which takes into account the associated loads – the impacts of air, wave and current forces, as well as the interaction with the ocean floor – which megastructures in the ocean are exposed to. In doing so, they have made significant progress towards the real-time capability of the non-linear model. They have also developed new methods for the early recognition of damage. These are based on machine-learning algorithms that are enhanced by physics-based knowledge.
Examples of the results to date also include the development of a new concept for ultra-thin rotor blades for megastructures, which allow significantly more energy to be generated even at low wind speeds. "This has enabled us to make a significant contribution to more consistent energy generation from renewable energy sources," said CRC speaker Prof. Dr. Raimund Rolfes of LUH. The CRC team has made other significant advances in the realistic description of the wave and wind loads, the development of optimum support structures and their permanent anchoring in the seabed, and efficient installation.
Plans for the second funding period
In the second funding period, the focus will primarily be the validation and verification of new methods. In addition to other locations, the research will be carried out at the Coastal Research Centre’s Large Wave Flume (GWK+) in Hannover, which was expanded during the first funding period and is one of a kind in the world. Measurements will also be taken at a new onshore research wind park and an offshore wind park.
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