Wind Turbine Installation Vessel Mission Reliability Modelling Using Petri Nets

Offshore wind power is one of the main technologies helping to meet the global low carbon challenge. However, the significant expansion of the offshore wind industry and the rapid increase in the size and weight of turbine components will certainly amplify the risk issues during installation and transport of large Offshore wind turbines (OWTs). Currently, there are less than 20 vessels globally that can support the installation of these large turbines. These vessels are multi-functional, comprising highly integrated specific-designed systems and components. If any of these components fail it could cause significant project delays or even lead to catastrophic damage to the vessel and turbine, posing a risk to human life. In this context, this paper aims to develop a mathematical model using Petri nets to assess the risk and reliability of the mission of a wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV). The mission of the WTIV is segmented into consecutive phases, each of which serves a specified task. Critical phases can be identified, and their failure probability can be obtained using the model developed. The Petri net model outlined in this paper is deemed useful in aiding decision-making regarding installation for future offshore wind farm projects.

Keywords: Offshore wind, Logistics, Petri nets, Simulation, Offshore installations, Reliability.

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