Floating platform design for offshore wind turbines
Floating offshore wind turbines enable the harnessing of wind resources in marine regions where conventional fixed-bottom foundations are not feasible. However, the motions of floating platforms under combined wind and wave loading remain a major challenge.
In his thesis, Diego Bernal Camacho investigates strategies to improve the performance of a semisubmersible floating wind turbine platform through passive motion reduction systems and the co-location of wave energy converters. He uses the OC4 DeepCwind semisubmersible platform in this investigation.
First, Bernal Camacho analysed offshore wind conditions in the Gulf of Tehuantepec, Mexico, to characterise representative marine environments and simulate a floating wind turbine. Subsequently, he conducted experimental tests in an enclosed wave-wind flume to evaluate the effectiveness of a passive motion-reduction system comprising a centreboard and a heave plate. These experiments were complemented with numerical simulations in WEC-Sim. Additional analyses investigate the interaction between the floating wind turbine and different WEC array configurations positioned at the platform bow, including arc-shaped and honeycomb layouts.
The results show that the proposed motion-reduction system reduces platform motions, while the co-location of WEC arrays can further influence hydrodynamic performance and energy capture.