Establishing a fully coupled CFD analysis tool for floating offshore wind turbines

• DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2017.04.052
• Publication Date: 2017-04-28T11:46:27Z
• Authors: Yuanchuan Liu; Qing Xiao; Atilla Incecik; Christophe Peyrard; Decheng Wan
• Keywords: 690; Technology; T; 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 7. Clean energy

An accurate study of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system requires interdisciplinary knowledge about aerodynamics, platform hydrodynamics and mooring line dynamics, as well interaction between these discipline areas. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) provides new means analysing fully coupled fluid-structure (FSI) in detailed manner. In this paper, numerical tool based on the open source CFD toolbox OpenFOAM for application to FOWTs will be described. Various benchmark cases are first modelled demonstrate capability tool. The OC4 DeepCWind semi-submersible FOWT model is then investigated under different operating conditions. With tool, effects dynamic motions aerodynamic performance impact aerodynamics behaviour responses examined. present results provide quantitative information three-dimensional FSI that may complement related experimental studies. addition, modelling enables analysis flow field, pressure distribution along blades their structure, which difficult carry out experimentally.