Wind turbine in winter

There are different ice effects on offshore wind turbine, drifting ice affect the foundation more than the land fast-ice. The tower behaves as a single isolated pinning point resisting the applied driving force, which can be distributed over the tower surface. The ice contact area is an important parameter to determine the foundation sliding resistance, foundation shear bearing capacity and overturning moment at the seabed of a wind turbine structure.  

Vibrations from floating ice and atmospheric icing damage the turbine. Semi-active countermeasures are activated automatically to prevent excessive vibrations. Embedding damping and smart elements in the supporting structure reduce the vibrations.  

In 2006, there were not many standards and regulations for offshore wind turbine. Danish regulation included the requirement of the foundation being designed for horizontal and vertical ice load. De-icing and anti-icing systems are still under development. Blades heating systems are currently used in Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. Thermal anti-icing systems are the most used systems.  

The maintenance of wind turbines is impacted by the risk of ice throw from ice shedding. Where the sea freezes over completely, the access for maintenance purposes may be often completely impossible.  

Ice prevention systems on blades, accurate sealing, load mitigation systems for sea ice, cold weather packages and diagnostic tools integrated to account for ice loads effects will be a sensible part of the investment and operating costs.