Research: Extreme loading on floating wind turbines

Research summary

• October 2019 to October 2022

This project aims to inform the design, manufacturing and testing of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs).

Most offshore wind turbines are located in relatively shallow water, mounted on fixed bottom support structures.

Suitable shallow water sites with high wind resources are limited. And to reduce the environmental and visual impact of turbines, FOWT systems can be used to extend wind turbines to deeper water.

We are characterising extreme loading on FOWTs under complex and harsh marine environments using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling and physical wave tank tests.

These environments are usually represented by the complex interplay between storm conditions including:

• strong wind

• extreme waves

• significant currents

• rising sea level

This work has direct relevance to the current and planned activities in the UK to develop new technology in offshore wind.

We are also creating a suite of hierarchical numerical models that can be routinely applied for fast and detailed analysis of the specific flow problem of environmental (wind, wave and current) loading, and dynamic responses of FOWTs under realistic storm conditions.

To improve understanding of the underlying physics that validate the numerical models, we are conducting a new experimental programme in the COAST laboratory at the University of Plymouth.

Towards the end of our project, we will release the fully documented CFD software and experimental data sets.

They will be available in the public domain for relevant industrial users to aid the design of future FOWT support structures, and to ensure safe operation at maximum power output.