Vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) assessment of subsea power cables and mooring lines of offshore renewable energy converters

Offshore renewables provide a way to harness the huge amounts of energy resources available in unconventional locations. However, due to the nature of an offshore environment, there are other issues introduced that are not present with land instalments. One such issue is the damage and failure of suspended cables, whether for moorings or electricity transfer. The failures of these cables can be dangerous and expensive to replace. With the expansion of offshore projects across the world and the emergence of floating wind turbines the dependence on these cables is set to increase. My research aims to investigate the issue of vortex-induced vibrations on these cables and mooring lines.

The main solutions that will be produced are: What are the nature and general features of VIV (cross-flow, in-line and axial responses) of a submerged flexible power cable and mooring lines under combined wave-current-turbulence scenarios? What are the maximum VIV amplitudes and amplified mean displacements under combined wave-current-turbulence environment? How does the ambient turbulence combined with wave-current interactions affect hydrodynamic forces and cable/mooring responses and how to evaluate fatigue loadings? What methods can be adapted in VIV suppression of power cables and mooring lines? The research will be carried out through a combination of numerical and theoretical methods. It may also involve the use of the Flo-Wave facilities to validate the numerical and theoretical methods used.