Numerical analysis of Arctic wind turbines supporting structures

The paper presents numerical modeling methods for the supporting structures of wind turbines operating under Arctic conditions on permafrost soils. The relevance of the research is determined by the strategic priorities for the development of the Russian Arctic zone and the need to consider the specific environmental and climatic conditions in the energy infrastructure design. An integrated methodology is developed for analyzing the structural behavior of Arctic wind turbines, including the stress-strain state and dynamic response of the supporting structures finite element modeling, accounting for wind and operational loads, nonlinear soil-structure interaction, thermal regime, and temperature-dependent soil properties. The methodology is tested through a case study of a 100 kW wind turbine with a 30 m tower and a 24 m rotor diameter, for the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug environmental conditions. The results show that the permafrost degradation leads to increased displacements and stresses in the structural system by up to 25% and reduces the structure natural frequencies by up to 10%, due to a local 70-fold decrease in reactive soil resistance. The identified factors should be considered in the Arctic wind turbines design to ensure accurate assessment of structural performance and resonance risks.