• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.57-64
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• 2018

To maximize power generation and reduce the construction cost of a commercial utility-grade wind turbine, the size of the wind turbine should be large. The initial design of the 12 MW University of Ulsan(UOU) Floating Offshore Wind Turbine(FOWT) was carried out based on the 5 MW National Renewable Energy Laboratory(NREL) offshore wind turbine model. The existing 5 MW NREL offshore wind turbines have been expanded to 12 MW UOU FOWT using the geometric law of similarity and then redesigned for each factor. The resonance of the tower is the most important dynamic responses of a wind turbine, and it should be designed by avoiding resonance due to cyclic load during turbine operations. The natural frequency of the tower needs to avoid being within the frequency range corresponding to the rotational speed of the blades, 1P, and the blade passing frequency, 3P. To avoid resonance, vibration can be reduced by modifying the stiffness or mass. The direct expansion of the 5 MW wind turbine support structure caused a resonance problem with the tower of the 12 MW FOWT and the tower length and diameter was adjusted to avoid a match of the first natural frequency and 3P excitation of the tower.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.390-402
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• 2022

Offshore wind energy has become a major energy source, and various studies are underway to increase the economic feasibility of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT). In this study, the characteristics of wave-induced motion of a combined wind-wave energy platform were analyzed to reduce the variability of energy extraction. A user subroutine was developed, and numerical analysis was performed in connection with the ANSYS-AQWA hydrodynamic program in the time domain. A platform combining the TLP-type FOWT and the Wavestar-type wave energy converter (WEC) was proposed. Each motion response of the platform on the second-order wave load, the effect of WEC attachment and Power take-off (PTO) force were analyzed. The mooring line tension according to the installation location was also analyzed. The vertical motion of a single FOWT was increased approximately three times due to the second-order sum-frequency wave load. The PTO force of the WEC played as a vertical motion damper for the combined platform. The tension of the mooring lines in front of the incident wave direction was dominantly affected by the pitch of the platform, and the mooring lines located at the side of the platform were mainly affected by the heave of the platform.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.238-246
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• 2023

This paper proposes an effective inertia coefficient (EIC) in the Morison equation for better wave-force calculations. The OC4 semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) platform was considered to test the feasibility. Large diffraction at large Keulegan-Carpenter (KC) numbers and the interaction between columns can result in errors in estimating the wave force using the Morison equation with a theoretical inertia coefficient, which can be corrected by the EIC as a function of the wave period and direction. The horizontal and vertical wave forces were calculated using the Morison equation and potential theory at each column, wave period, and wave direction. The EICs of each column were then obtained, resulting in a minimal difference between the Morison inertia force and the wave excitation force by the potential theory. The EICs, wave forces, phase angles, and dynamic motions were compared to confirm the feasibility of an EIC concept under regular and random waves.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.137-147
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• 2024

Green hydrogen presents a sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for clean energy production and transportation. This study aims to identify the optimal profile of green hydrogen transportation risers originating from a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) integrated with a hydrogen production facility. Employing the Cummins equation, a fully coupled dynamic analysis for FOWT with a flexible riser was conducted, with the tower, mooring lines, and risers described using a lumped mass line model. Initially, motion response amplitude operators (RAOs) were compared with openly published results to validate the numerical model for the FOWT. Subsequently, a parametric study was conducted on the length of the buoyancy module section and the upper bare section of the riser by comparing the riser's tension and bending moment. The results indicated that as the length of the buoyancy module increases, the maximum tension of the riser decreases, while it increases with the lengthening of the bare section. Furthermore, shorter buoyancy modules are expected to experience less fatigue damage, with the length of the bare section having a relatively minor impact on this phenomenon. Consequently, to ensure safety under extreme environmental conditions, both the upper bare section and the buoyancy module section should be relatively short.

• Journal of Wind Energy
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2023

The analysis of the floating offshore wind turbine platform is based on the procedures provided by the IEC including the International Classification Society, which recommends the analysis in the time domain. But time-domain simulation requires a lot of time and resources to solve tens of thousands of DLCs. This acts as a barrier in terms of floating structure development. For final verification, it requires very precise analysis in the time domain, but from an initial design point of view, a simplified verification procedure to predict the quantity of materials quickly and achieve relatively accurate results is crucial. In this study, a structural design procedure using a design wave applied in the oil and gas industries is presented combined with a conservative turbine load. With this method, a quick design spiral can be rotated, and it is possible to review FOWTs of various shapes and sizes. Consequently, a KRISO Semi-Submersible FOWT platform was developed using a simplified design procedure in frequency-domain analysis.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2011

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.287-312
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• 2023

The global performance of a 15 MW floating offshore wind turbine, a newly designed semisubmersible floating foundation with multiple heave plates by CNOOC, is investigated with two independent turbine-floater-mooring coupled dynamic analysis programs CHARM3D-FAST and OrcaFlex. The semisubmersible platform hosts IEA 15 MW reference wind turbine modulated for VolturnUS-S and hybrid type (chain-wire-chain with clumps) 3×2 mooring lines targeting the water depth of 100 m. The numerical free-decay simulation results are compared with physical experiments with 1:64 scaled model in 3D wave basin, from which appropriate drag coefficients for heave plates were estimated. The tuned numerical simulation tools were then used for the feasibility and global performance analysis of the FOWT considering the 50-yr-storm condition and maximum operational condition. The effect of tower flexibility was investigated by comparing tower-base fore-aft bending moment and nacelle translational accelerations. It is found that the tower-base bending moment and nacelle accelerations can be appreciably increased due to the tower flexibility.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.191-218
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• 2019

The tower-platform interface and mooring system of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are some of the most critical components with significant influences on overall project costs. In addition to satisfying strength requirements, it is typical and vital to meet fatigue criteria for a service life of 25 years or more. Wind spectra characteristics considered in analysis can penalize fatigue designs, leading to unnecessary costs. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC, 2009) recommends the use of site-specific wind data (spectrum, turbulence intensity, etc.) in design of FOWTs, but for offshore sites it is often the case that such data is unavailable and land-based data are used as surrogates in design. For such scenarios, it is worth investigating whether such alternative approach is suitable and accurate, and understanding the consequence of the selection of wind spectral characteristics on fatigue design. This paper addresses the impact of the subsequent selection on fatigue responses of towerbase and mooring system in a FOWT, as a sequel to the paper by Udoh and Zou (2018) which focused on impacts on strength design. The 5 MW semi-submersible FOWT platform with six mooring lines implemented in the preceding study is applied in analysis. Results indicate significant variations in resulting fatigue life with considered wind parameters. Thus, it is critical to apply proper wind spectra characteristics for analysis and design of FOWTs to avoid unnecessary conservatism and costs. Based on the findings of this study, more explicit guidance on the application of turbulence intensities for IEC-recommended models in offshore sites could lead to more accurate load estimates in design of FOWTs.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.173-193
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• 2023

Reliable prediction of the motion of FOWT (floating offshore wind turbine) and associated mooring line tension is important in both design and operation/monitoring processes. In the present study, a 5MW OC4 semisubmersible wind turbine is numerically modeled, simulated, and analyzed by the open-source numerical tool, OpenFAST and in-house numerical tool, Charm3D-FAST. Another commercial-level program FASTv8-OrcaFlex is also introduced for comparison for selected cases. The three simulation programs solve the same turbine-floater-mooring coupled dynamics in time domain while there exist minor differences in the details of the program. Both the motions and mooring-line tensions are calculated and compared with the DeepCWind 1/50 scale model-testing results. The system identification between the numerical and physical models is checked through the static-offset test and free-decay test. Then the system motions and mooring tensions are systematically compared among the simulated results and measured values. Reasonably good agreements between the simulation and measurement are demonstrated for (i) white-noise random waves, (ii) typical random waves, and (iii) typical random waves with steady wind. Based on the comparison between numerical results and experimental data, the relative importance and role of the differences in the numerical methodologies of those three programs can be observed and interpreted. These comparative-study results may provide a certain confidence level and some insight of potential variability in motion and tension predictions for future FOWT designs and applications.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.267-279
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• 2014

Hydrodynamic analyses of classic and truss spar platforms for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) were performed in the frequency domain, by considering coupling effects of the structure and its mooring system. Based on the Morison equation and Diffraction theory, different wave loads over various frequency ranges and underlying hydrodynamic equations were calculated. Then, Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) of 6 DOF motions were obtained through the coupled hydrodynamic frequency domain analysis of classic and truss spar-type FOWTs. Truss spar platform had better heave motion performance and less weight than classic spar, while the hydrostatic stability did not show much difference between the two spar platforms.