• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.382-392
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• 2021

In recent years, floating offshore wind turbines have attracted more attention as a new renewable energy resource while bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines reach their limit of water depth. Various projects have been proposed with the rapid increase in installed floating wind power capacity, but the economic aspect remains as a biggest issue. To figure out sensible approaches for saving costs, a comparison analysis of the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) between floating and bottom-fixed offshore wind turbines was carried out. The LCOE was reviewed from a social perspective and a cost breakdown and a literature review analysis were used to itemize the costs into its various components in each level of power plant and system integration. The results show that the highest proportion in capital expenditure of a floating offshore wind turbine results in the substructure part, which is the main difference from a bottom-fixed wind turbine. A floating offshore wind turbine was found to have several advantages over a bottom-fixed wind turbine. Although a similarity in operation and maintenance cost structure is revealed, a floating wind turbine still has the benefit of being able to be maintained at a seaport. After emphasizing the cost-reduction advantages of a floating wind turbine, its LCOE outlook is provided to give a brief overview in the following years. Finally, some estimated cost drivers, such as economics of scale, wind turbine rating, a floater with mooring system, and grid connection cost, are outlined as proposals for floating wind LCOE reduction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2011.10a
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• pp.614-622
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• 2011

In this study, the computational structural dynamic modeling of floating offshore wind turbine system is presented using efficient equivalent modeling technique. Structural dynamic behaviors of the offshore floating platform with 5MW wind turbine system have been analyzed using computational multi-body dynamics based on the finite element method. The considered platform configuration of the present offshore wind turbine model is the typical spar-buoy type. Equivalent stiffness and damping properties of the floating platform were extracted from the results of the baseline model. Dynamic responses for the floating wind turbine models are presented and compared to investigate its structural dynamic characteristics. It is important shown that the results of the present equivalent modeling technique show good and reasonable agreements with those by the fully coupled analysis considering complex floating body dynamics.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.255-262
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• 2015

The present study developed a numerical simulation tool for the coupled dynamic analysis of multiple turbines on a single floater (or Multiple Unit Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (MUFOWT)) in the time domain, considering the multiple-turbine aero-blade-tower dynamics and control, mooring dynamics, and platform motions. The numerical tool developed in this study was designed based on and extended from the single-turbine analysis tool FAST to make it suitable for multiple turbines. For the hydrodynamic loadings of floating platform and mooring-line dynamics, the CHARM3D program developed by the authors was incorporated. Thus, the coupled dynamic behavior of a floating base with multiple turbines and mooring lines can be simulated in the time domain. To investigate the effect of asymmetric aerodynamic loading on the global performance and mooring line tensions of the MUFOWT, one turbine failure case with a fully feathered blade pitch angle was simulated and checked. The aerodynamic interference between adjacent turbines, including the wake effect, was not considered in this study to more clearly demonstrate the influence of the asymmetric aerodynamic loading on the MUFOWT. The analysis shows that the unbalanced aerodynamic loading from one turbine in MUFOWT may induce appreciable changes in the performance of the floating platform and mooring system.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2017

A series of coupled time domain simulations considering stochastic waves and wind based on five 1-h time-domain analyses are performed in normal operating conditions. Power performance and tower base Fore-Aft bending moment and pitching motion response of the floating spar-buoy wind turbine with 2 MW direct-drive PMSG have been analyzed by using HAWC2 that account for aero-hydro-servo-elastic time domain simulations. When the floating spar-buoy wind turbine is tilted in the wind direction, maximum of platform pitching motion is close to $4^{\circ}$. Statistical characteristics of tower base Fore-Aft bending moment of floating spar-buoy wind turbine are compared to that of land-based wind turbine. Maximum of tower base Fore-Aft bending moment of floating spar-buoy wind turbine and land-based wind is 94,448 kNm, 40,560 kNm respectively. This results is due to changes in blade pitch angle resulting from relative motion between wave and movement of the floating spar-buoy wind turbine.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.980-992
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• 2019

This paper describes a model test and numerical simulation of a 750-kW-semi-submersible platform wind turbine under several wind and wave conditions for validation of the numerical simulation model. The semi-submersible platform was designed to support the 750-kW-wind turbine class and operate at a water depth of 50 m. The model tests were performed to estimate the performance characteristics of the wind turbine system in the wide tank of the University of Ulsan. Motions and loads of the wind turbine system under the wind and wave conditions were measured and analyzed. The NREL-FAST code was used to simulate the wind turbine system, and the results were compared with those of the test model. The results demonstrate that the numerical simulation captures noticeably the fully coupled floating wind turbine dynamic responses. Also, the model shows a good stability and small responses during waves, wind, and operation of the 750-kW-floating offshore wind turbine.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.407-413
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• 2013

This paper deals with the analysis of dynamic characteristics of mooring system of floating-type offshore wind turbine. A spar-type floating structure which consists of a nacelle, a tower and the platform excepting blades, is used to model the floating wind turbine and connect three catenary cables to substructure. The motion of floating structure is simulated when the mooring system is attached using irregular wave Pierson-Moskowitz model. The mooring system is analyzed by changing cable position of floating structure. The dynamic behavior characteristics of mooring system are investigated comparing with cable tension and 6-dof motion of floating structure. These characteristics are much useful to initial design of floating-type structure. From the simulation results, the optimized design parameter that is cable position of connect point of mooring cable can be obtained.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.24 no.8
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• pp.621-627
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• 2014

In this paper, a possibility of controlling the motion of a floating wind turbine with the tuned liquid damper(TLD) is numerically investigated. First, motion of the scale model of a floating wind turbine without the TLD is predicted and its results are compared to the measured data. There are reasonably good agreements between two results, which confirms validity of the present numerical methods. Then, the effect of TLD is quantitatively assessed by comparing the prediction results for the floating wind turbine with and without the TLD. It is shown that the motion of the scale model derived by external forces can be reduced by using the TLD. On a basis of this result, a multi-layer TLD is proposed to generate larger reaction force of the TLD at the fixed target frequency. The motions of the scale model with the multi-layer TLDs are computed and compared with that of the single-layer TLD. It is shown that the multi-layer TLD generate stronger reaction force and thus more reduce the motion of the floating body than the single-layer TLD.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.64-68
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• 2011

The motion responses of a 5-MW floating offshore wind turbine were simulated in regular and irregular waves and its RAOs and significant motion responses were calculated, respectively. The floating offshore wind turbine employed in this simulation was the OC3-Hywind designed by the National Renewable Research Laboratory, USA. The numerical simulation was carried out using MOSES (Multi-Operational Structural Engineering Simulator), which is widely used to analyze and design floating offshore structures in the gas and oil industry.

• Ocean Systems Engineering
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.221-243
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• 2015

This paper compares simplified and finite element method (FEM) models for tower and blade in dynamic coupled analysis of floating wind turbine. A SPAR type wind turbine with catenary mooring lines is considered in numerical analysis. Floating body equation is derived using boundary element method (BEM) and convolution. Equations for mooring line, tower and blade are formulated with theories of catenary, elastic beam and aerodynamic rotating beam, respectively and FEM is applied in the formulation. By combining the equations, coupled solutions are calculated. Tower or blade may be assumed rigid or lumped body for simplicity in modeling. By comparing floating body motions, mooring line tensions and tower stresses with the simple model and original FEM model, the effect of including or neglecting elastic, rotating and aerodynamic behavior of tower and blade is discussed.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2014

A new 5-MW floating offshore wind turbine moored by a spring-tensioned-leg was proposed for installation in about 50m water depth. Its substructure is a platform of the inverted conical cylinder type with massive ballast weight plate at the bottom. A 1:128 scale model was built for the preliminary engineering development. The model tests in waves and wind were carried out to estimate motion characteristics of this platform in the Ocean Engineering Wide Tank of the University of Ulsan. Its motions were measured and the RAOs were compared. The proposed floating offshore wind turbine showed a good stability and decent responses in waves, wind and operation of the wind turbine.