Innovative wind turbine masts

The UK government has made a commitment to ensure that, by 2010, 10% of the country's electricity will be generated from renewable sources. One of the key sources of renewable power is wind energy.

The design of the masts which support wind turbines is a particular challenge as these structures are often subjected to harsh environmental conditions (both offshore and onshore). Significant advantages can be obtained by using carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) prestressed concrete wind turbine towers instead of plain steel or steel prestressed concrete solutions, both of which are susceptible to corrosion and corrosion fatigue (a particular form of stress corrosion).

CFRPs are very durable materials and require low maintenance. Furthermore, in view of the reduced concrete cover required and the high strength of the FRP tendons, the weight of a CFRP prestressed tower is about 40% lower than that of an equivalent steel-prestressed structure. Thus, lower installation costs can be expected. At the end of the design lifetime, towers with FRP tendons (unlike those with steel tendons) can be crushed and thus the waste can be recycled and reused. As a result, truly sustainable energy generation solutions can be realised.

The current aim is to address the feasibility, design and implementation of these novel CFRP prestressed structures for use as wind turbine masts.This work is carried out in collaboration with SACAC, Switzerland.

For more details see Dr Lees' home page.

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Other environment related projects:

Recycled materials as reinforcement for concrete