Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
pose of project certification is to determine whether type-certified wind
turbines and their integrated foundation designs conform to the exter-
nal conditions, applicable construction and electrical codes, and other
requirements of a specific site. Under this process, the external physical
environmental conditions, grid system conditions, and soil properties
unique to the site are evaluated to determine whether they meet the
requirements defined in the design documentation for the wind turbine
type and foundations.
Wind turbines and their support structures are mass produced, as
opposed to the customized design approach typically applied for offshore
oil and gas installations. Final permitting of wind power plants results in
the installation of many turbines of the same design type (hence the term
“type certification” for a turbine that meets a generic design class, rather
than site-specific environmental conditions). Although it is likely that the
same design has operated in other sites, a new installation must integrate
the environmental and physical conditions of the site into the engineering
evaluation of suitability for the site. IEC recognizes that offshore turbines
will be designed and tested long before most projects are even conceived.
Thus, the IEC standards require and give guidance for evaluating the suit-
ability of a type-certified turbine for specific site conditions.
API STANDARDS
Background on Oil and Gas Facilities: Historical Perspective
API standards were developed with a focus on offshore facilities for oil
and gas and include, among other items, wind-wave-current models,
analysis approach, and structural and foundation design parameters. API
RP 2A is the primary standard used by the offshore oil and gas industry
for the structural design of fixed offshore structures, which are the most
similar to traditional offshore wind structures, but API has additional
standards for offshore floating structures, including API RP 2T, API RP
2FPS, and API RP 2SK. These standards represent more than 60 years of
design experience. Although they were primarily developed to address the
offshore oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico, the API series has become
a comprehensive set of standards that is used internationally. In sup-
port of the recommended practices, additional documents such as 2MET
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