Extreme Loading on Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) under Complex Environmental Conditions

Lead Research Organisation: Plymouth University
Department Name: Sch of Engineering

Abstract

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Description - The method developed to improve physical modelling of floating offshore wind has enabled data sets to be collected determining the influence wind loading has on a semi-sub floating offshore wind response to extreme conditions. The new method enables aerodynamic loading to be applied in physical hydrodynamics experiments. The aerodynamic loading is calculated in real time during experiments using a surrogate model which can be trained based on any suitable dataset.
- Experimental data-sets collected during this project have been made open course are being used in comparative studies. These are studies where numerical modelling groups from both industry and academia from around the world attempt to reproduce the experimental results. A comparison of the numerical results enables conclusions to be drawn on additional numerical modelling development requirements.
Exploitation Route The developed method for physical modelling of floating offshore wind turbines has already been used with 2 floating offshore wind developers, with another 2 planning to use it in 2023. Such physical modelling enables these developers to learn about and improve their designs before deploying offshore.
The physical modelling data sets collected are being used to validate and / or improve numerical modelling of floating offshore wind systems. Improved accuracy / confidence in these numerical modelling processes supports the design of the next generation of floating offshore wind systems.
Sectors Energy
 
Description The developed method for physical modelling of floating offshore wind turbines has already been used with 3 floating offshore wind developers, with another planning to use it in 2024. Such physical modelling enables these developers to learn about and improve their designs before deploying offshore. One of the data sets generated during the project formed the basis of the '1st FOWT comparative study'. Papers were presented at the 33rd International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference from various international research teams demonstrating ability of different numerical modelling codes to model floating offshore wind response. These studies highlighted area
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Energy
Impact Types Economic
 
Description Integrated wind-wave control of semi-submersible floating offshore wind turbine platforms (FOWT-Control)
Amount £307,175 (GBP)
Funding ID EP/W009692/1 
Organisation Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 06/2023 
End 06/2026
 
Title Hybrid modelling technique for testing of floating offshore wind turbine platforms 
Description During EP/T004150/1 a new hardware and software approach to physical scales testing of floating offshore wind energy devices in the University of Plymouth COAST laboratory Ocean Basin has been developed. This uses real time measurements of platform motion to control propellers attached to the top of the floating wind turbine model that emulate the thrust force applied by the turbine by the floating platform. A surrogate model, trained by numerical models of how the forces generated by the turbine change due to unsteady wind and platform motions, has been developed as the real time controller of the experiment. This method has several advantages over previous techniques. The surrogate modelling approach enables data from higher fidelity numerical models that can't be run in real time to be used to control the experiment. The hybrid modelling approach enables an effective way of testing different turbine types and at different scales without building new turbine models. The method will also enable testing into the impact of different turbine control strategies on floating platform response. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact This research tool has been used to collect the experimental data required in this project, which will form the numerical modelling validation to be published later this year. The tool has also been used in other ongoing research projects and will be used by industry developers in the next year as part of their research and development of new floating offshore wind platforms. 
 
Title Hydrodynamic response of a floating offshore wind turbine (1st FOWT Comparative Study Dataset) 
Description The dataset considers the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic response of a 1:70 scale model of the IEA 15MW reference wind turbine (IEA-15-240-RWT) and UMaine VolturnUS-S semi-submersible platform. The test cases consist of static equilibrium load cases, free decay tests (in heave, surge and pitch) and a pair of focused wave cases (one 'operational' and one 'extreme'). This dataset includes the physical measurement data for the study and was generated in the COAST Laboratory Ocean Basin at the University of Plymouth, UK.. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2022 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The 1st FOWT Comparative Study is being run in conjunction with the ISOPE 2023 conference, in Ottawa, Canada, 19-23 June 2023 as part of the EPSRC funded project entitled 'Extreme Loading on Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT) under Complex Environmental Conditions.' International numerical modelling groups are attempting to reproduce this dataset, before these efforts are compared at the conference in an effort to improve the sectors ability to reliable model floating offshore wind hydrodynamics. 
URL http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/20151
 
Description IEA Wind Task 30 team 
Organisation International Energy Agency (IEA)
Country France 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution - Contributed simulation data for a number of load cases in the (OC6 CFD) comparative study, which will lead to our inclusion on a paper in preparation. - Contributed to the virtual meetings including help steer the direction for the latest OC6 CFD phase of the project (i.e. supported continuation and progression towards floating cases etc.). - Helped to resolve an issue surrounding the definition of an OpenFOAM output which significantly altered the interpretation of the results (to be presented in the paper).
Collaborator Contribution - Involvement with IEA Wind Task 30 has given us access to the latest numerical modelling developments in Floating Offshore Wind by other international research groups - helping to insure the modelling developments on this project are state-of-the art. - Involvement with IEA Wind Task 30 provides a avenue for dissemination of our modelling developments to academic and commercial beneficiaries. - Allowed us to directly compare with a number of other CFD codes and experimental data, verifying that our hydrodynamic modelling techniques are both good and up-to-date. - Collaboration has improved our wave generation, propagation and absorption within our model
Impact Paper in preparation
Start Year 2020