Research of lightning transient potential on the jacket foundation offshore wind turbines

Abstract

Offshore wind turbines are often struck by lightning due to their tall structures and the harsh marine environment. The high transient potential from lightning strike can cause serious damage for the devices of offshore turbines. For analysing the effect of transient potential, a complete transient circuit model is established and an efficient algorithm is also presented to evaluate the circuit parameters of blade, tower, and jacket foundation. On the basis of the circuit model, the transient potential at the different locations of the offshore wind turbine can be carried out during direct lightning strike by PSCAD. Finally, the circuit model is used by a numerical example of an actual Chinese-built offshore wind turbine.