Evaluating the importance of mooring line model fidelity in floating offshore wind turbine simulations

Accurate computer modelling is critical in achieving cost‐effective floating offshore wind turbine designs. Although a range of modelling fidelities are available for all parts of the simulation, a lower‐fidelity quasi‐static approach that neglects inertia and hydrodynamics is often used for the mooring line model. The loss of accuracy from using this approach has not been thoroughly studied across different support structure designs. To test the adequacy of this widely used simplified mooring line modelling approach, the floating wind turbine simulator FAST (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado) was modified to allow the use of a high‐fidelity dynamic mooring line model, ProteusDS (Dynamic Systems Analysis Inc. of Victoria, BC, Canada). Three standard floating wind turbine designs were implemented in this new simulator arrangement and tested using a set of steady and stochastic wind and wave conditions. The static equivalence between the built‐in quasi‐static mooring model and the dynamic mooring model is within 0.6% in terms of fairlead tension. Tests of the systems’ responses in still water indicate that the hydrodynamic damping of the mooring lines can constitute anywhere from 1% to 35% of the overall system damping in pitch, depending on the design. Tests in steady and stochastic operating conditions show that for very stable designs with slack moorings, or designs with taut moorings, a quasi‐static mooring model can in many conditions predict the platform motions and turbine loads with reasonable accuracy. For slack‐moored designs with larger platform motions, however, a quasi‐static model can lead to inaccuracies of as much as 30% in the damage‐equivalent and extreme loads on the turbine. An important observation is that even in situations where the platform response is predicted reasonably well by a quasi‐static model, larger inaccuracies can arise in the response of the rotor blades. These inaccuracies are more severe in the time series (with instantaneous discrepancies as high as 50% of the mean load) than in the corresponding damage‐equivalent and extreme loads calculated over multiple stochastic simulations. Consequently, differences in damage‐equivalent and extreme load metrics should be considered a floor to the measure of inaccuracy caused by a quasi‐static mooring model. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamics of offshore floating wind turbines—analysis of three concepts

This work presents a comprehensive dynamic–response analysis of three offshore floating wind turbine concepts. Models were composed of one 5 MW turbine supported on land and three 5 MW turbines located offshore on a tension leg platform, a spar buoy and a barge. A loads and stability analysis adhering to the procedures of international design standards was performed for each model using the fully coupled time domain aero‐hydro‐servo‐elastic simulation tool FAST with AeroDyn and HydroDyn. The concepts are compared based on the calculated ultimate loads, fatigue loads and instabilities. The loads in the barge‐supported turbine are the highest found for the three floating concepts. The differences in the loads between the tension leg platform–supported turbine and spar buoy–supported turbine are not significant, except for the loads in the tower, which are greater in the spar system. Instabilities in all systems also must be resolved. The results of this analysis will help resolve the fundamental design trade‐offs between the floating‐system concepts. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A CFD study of coupled aerodynamic‐hydrodynamic loads on a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine

The prediction of dynamic characteristics for a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is challenging because of the complex load coupling of aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, and structural dynamics. These loads should be accurately calculated to yield reliable analysis results in the design phase of a FOWT. In this study, a high‐fidelity fluid‐structure interaction simulation that simultaneously considers the influence of aero‐hydrodynamic coupling due to the dynamic motion of a FOWT has been conducted using computational fluid dynamics based on an overset grid technique. The DeepCwind semisubmersible floating platform with the NREL 5‐MW baseline wind turbine model is considered for objective numerical verification with the NREL FAST code. A state‐of‐the‐art computational model based on the coupled computational fluid dynamics and dynamic structure analysis is constructed and analyzed to solve multiphase flow, 6 degrees of freedom motions of OC4 semisubmersible FOWT. A quasi‐static mooring solver is also applied to resolve the constraint motion of floater because of a 3‐line mooring system. The influence of tower shadow on the unsteady aerodynamic performance and loads is also demonstrated. Finally, complex unsteady flow fields considering blade and tower interference effects among blade‐tip vortices, shedding vortices, and turbulent wakes are numerically visualized and investigated in detail.     

南海海况下半潜浮式风机在故障工况下的动力学响应分析

  [目的]  作为新型清洁可再生能源,风力发电的发展备受瞩目。随着风力发电由陆上向海洋发展,海上浮式风电发展迅速。  [方法]  以南海海况下半潜浮式风机为研究背景,采用ANSYS-AQWA分析软件,对浮式风机在南海典型海况下的动力学响应进行了分析。采用等效载荷法模拟空气动力荷载,采用势流理论计算水动力荷载和系泊系统的锚链荷载。  [结果]  研究表明:当单根锚链发生断裂时,浮式风机的纵荡和运动会大幅增加,可能会引起平台失控。当两根锚链断裂时,在一定时间内,运动响应会适当增加。因此建议采用冗余系泊系统,即单组多根锚链,从而在单根锚链失效后为更换锚链赢取时间。  [结论]  研究成果为我国深海浮式风电的开发提供了一定的参考。对于舱室破损工况的破损机理及数值模拟方法,有待进一步的研究。     

Individual blade pitch control of floating offshore wind turbines

Floating wind turbines offer a feasible solution for going further offshore into deeper waters. However, using a floating platform introduces additional motions that must be taken into account in the design stage. Therefore, the control system becomes an important component in controlling these motions. Several controllers have been developed specifically for floating wind turbines. Some controllers were designed to avoid structural resonance, while others were used to regulate rotor speed and platform pitching. The development of a periodic state space controller that utilizes individual blade pitching to improve power output and reduce platform motions in above rated wind speed region is presented. Individual blade pitching creates asymmetric aerodynamic loads in addition to the symmetric loads created by collective blade pitching to increase the platform restoring moments. Simulation results using a high‐fidelity non‐linear turbine model show that the individual blade pitch controller reduces power fluctuations, platform rolling rate and platform pitching rate by 44%, 39% and 43%, respectively, relative to a baseline controller (gain scheduled proportional–integral blade pitch controller) developed specifically for floating wind turbine systems. Turbine fatigue loads were also reduced; tower side–side fatigue loads were reduced by 39%. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Platform stabilization and load reduction of floating offshore wind turbines with tension‐leg platform using dynamic vibration absorbers

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) are subject to significant increases in structural loads due to the platform motion under turbulent wind and wave. The under‐actuation challenge in FOWT control demands for development of extra actuators for platform stabilization. For FOWT with tension‐leg platform (TLP), this paper presents a comprehensive study on design and control simulation for realizing active mooring line control via the deployment of vertically operated dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) at the spokes of TLP structure. The DVA is designed based on the suppression of the primary modes of platform pitch and roll motion. In addition to the enhancement of FAST‐based simulation module, an 11 degrees‐of‐freedom (DOFs) control‐oriented model is derived for the TLP‐FOWT‐DVA system. Based on the control‐oriented model, a linear quadratic regulator (LQR) controller is designed. Simulations are performed for 9 m/s and 18 m/s turbulent winds with different wind and wave directions. The wind turbine performance, platform motions, and structural fatigue loads are evaluated. The results show that the platform motion and tower loads in the lateral direction are significantly reduced, while the tower load in the fore‐aft direction can be moderately reduced. Also, significant reduction in the mooring line tension loads is observed. For achieving the performance in platform motion stabilization and load reduction, the average power consumption of the DVA actuators is less than 0.27% of the wind turbine power generated during the simulated periods. The figures of merits promise significant potential for the feasibility of DVA based control for TLP‐FOWT.     

随机风浪作用下漂浮式风力机MTMD振动控制研究

基于多体动力学理论,通过二次开发,基于FAST-SC建立漂浮式风力机-多重调谐质量阻尼器（MTMD）耦合振动控制模型FAST-SC-MTMD。以驳船式海上风力机为研究对象,基于线性调频优化方法完成布置于机舱和平台位置的TMD参数设计。以漂浮式风力机结构运动响应控制率为评价指标,研究在随机荷载激励下将TMD和MTMD应用于在驳船式风力机的减振效果。研究发现,采用机舱和平台同时布置MTMD的减振控制策略,可有效降低驳船式风力机塔基荷载和运动响应。     

风浪异向下漂浮式风电场平台动态响应研究

为研究风浪异向下海上漂浮式风电场平台运动响应,建立基于ITI Energy Barge平台的漂浮式风力机及共用系泊的二阶阵列漂浮式风电场模型,运用水动力学软件AQWA与风力机仿真软件OpenFAST分别对水动与气动载荷进行计算,分析了风浪异向下二阶阵列漂浮式风电场Barge平台时频响应特性。结果表明：频域内,Barge平台响应主要集中在低频区域,波浪方向对纵摇和纵荡响应影响较大,对垂荡响应影响较小;时域内,纵摇和艏摇自由度背风侧平台响应幅值明显大于迎风侧平台;风电场各平台在横荡、横摇上的响应幅度随波浪入射角度的增大而增大,纵荡和垂荡自由度则几乎不受影响。     

载荷优化的海上漂浮式风电机组二阶滑模变桨控制

针对强非线性、强耦合的海上漂浮式风电机组动力学系统,提出一种基于二阶滑模的统一变桨控制策略,解决受海浪风速等随机干扰引起浮式支撑平台运动而产生的疲劳结构载荷及功率波动问题。构建漂浮式风电机组的不确定仿射非线性模型,基于风电机组“额定转速”设计积分滑模面,此“额定转速”不再是恒定值,而是取决于平台纵摇速度的变量,基于超螺旋算法实现二阶滑模变桨控制律。采用FAST和Matlab/Simulink联合仿真,所提出的方案与传统PI控制相比,对稳定高风速时风力发电机功率,抑制浮式支撑平台运动及减少叶根载荷具有更好的控制作用,对塔基也有较好的减载作用。     

Numerical analysis of a tethered-buoy mooring system for a prototype floating wind farm

Conventional mooring systems contribute significantly to the cost of floating wind projects, and innovative solutions with cost-saving potentials are desired. In the present paper, we investigate the fundamental dynamic behavior of an innovative tethered-buoy mooring system for a prototype wind farm in which two spar floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are moored to five submerged tethered buoys. Numerical decay tests are used to characterize the fundamental frequencies and oscillatory modes of the system. The influence of net buoyancy is established through a parametric study. Finally, the dynamic response of the tethered-buoy mooring system is compared against two alternative shared mooring configurations with catenary mooring lines. Time-domain simulations are carried out for one accidental scenario with a parked and an operational FOWT, and one extreme scenario with two parked FOWTs. The results show that net buoyancy has a significant influence on platform motions and mooring loads. Compared to alternative configurations with catenary mooring lines, the tethered-buoy mooring system exhibits substantially lower mooring tension loads and practically eliminates the threat of snap events. The reduction in the maximum characteristic fairlead tension is up to 85%. The mean positional offset of the wind turbines in the loading direction is larger, up to 36% of the water depth, however, the relative motions are comparable. The mean distance between the FOWTs is even smaller for the tethered-buoy system. With the application of dynamic inter-array cables, the proposed tethered-buoy system can be a promising mooring solution for floating offshore wind farms.     

Aerodynamic simulations of offshore floating wind turbine in platform‐induced pitching motion

Forfloating offshore wind turbines, rotors are under coupled motions of rotating and platform‐induced motions because of hydrodynamics impacts. Notably, the coupled motion of platform pitching and rotor rotating induces unsteadiness and nonlinear aerodynamics in turbine operations; thus having a strong effect on the rotor performances including thrust and power generation. The present work aims at developing a computational fluid dynamics model for simulations of rotor under floating platform induced motions. The rotor motion is realized using arbitrary mesh interface, and wind flows are modelled by incompressible Navier‐Stokes flow solver appended by the k  ? ω shear stress transport turbulence model to resolve turbulence quantities. In order to investigate the fully coupled motion of floating wind turbine, the six degree of freedom solid body motion solver is extended to couple with multiple motions, especially for the motion of rotor coupled with the prescribed surge‐heave‐pitch motion of floating platform. The detailed methodology of multiple motion coupling is also described and discussed in this work. Both steady and unsteady simulations of offshore floating wind turbine are considered in the present work. The steady aerodynamic simulation of offshore floating wind turbine is implemented by the multiple reference frames approach and for the transient simulation, the rotor motion is realized using arbitrary mesh interface. A rigorous benchmark of the present numerical model is performed by comparing to the reported literatures. The detailed elemental thrust and power comparisons of wind turbine are carried out by comparing with the results from FAST developed by National Renewable Energy Laboratory and various existing numerical data with good agreement. The proposed approach is then applied for simulations of National Renewable Energy Laboratory 5MW turbine in coupled platform motion at various wind speeds under a typical load case scenario. Transient effect of flows over turbines rotor is captured with good prediction of turbine performance as compared with existing data from FAST. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of platform disturbance on the performance of offshore wind turbine under pitch control

The aerodynamic performance of offshore floating wind turbines (OFWTs) is more complicated than onshore wind turbines due to 6‐degree of freedom (DOF) motion of the floating platform. In the current study, the aerodynamic analysis of a horizontal‐axis floating offshore wind turbine is performed with the aim of studying the effects of floating platform movement on the aerodynamic characteristics of the turbine in the presence of a pitch angle control system. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5‐MW offshore wind turbine is selected as the baseline wind turbine. For this sake, the unsteady blade element momentum method with dynamic stall and dynamic inflow models have been employed to obtain the unsteady aerodynamic loads. The baseline pitch angle control system is assumed to be coupled with the aerodynamic model to maintain the rated condition of the wind turbine and also to approach a closer model of wind turbine. In case of pitching motion input, the reduction of mean power coefficient for tip speed ratios (TSRs) less that 7 is expected by an amount of 16% to 20% at pitch amplitude of 2° and frequency of 0.1 Hz. For high TSRs, the trend is reverse with respect to fixed‐platform case. The mean thrust coefficient is reduced for almost all range of TSRs with maximum loss of 37%. Moreover, the mean control pitch angle that is an index of control system effort is increased. The results also represent the importance of considering the pitch control system for aerodynamic analysis of disturbed OFWT.     

Impact of aerodynamic modeling on seakeeping performance of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine

Over the last decade, several coupled simulation tools have been developed in order to design and optimize floating wind turbines (FWTs). In most of these tools, the aerodynamic modeling is based on quasi‐steady aerodynamic models such as the blade element momentum (BEM). It may not be accurate enough for FWTs as the motion of the platform induces highly unsteady phenomena around the rotor. To address this issue, a new design tool has been developed coupling a seakeeping solver with an unsteady aerodynamic solver based on the free vortex wake (FVW) theory. This tool is here compared with the reference code FAST, which is based on the BEM theory in order to characterize the impact of the aerodynamic model on the seakeeping of a floating horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). Aerodynamic solvers are compared for the case of the free floating NREL 5MW HAWT supported by the OC3Hywind SPAR. Differences obtained between the models have been analyzed through a study of the aerodynamic loads acting on the same turbine in imposed harmonic surge and pitch motions. This provides a better understanding of the intrinsic differences between the quasi‐steady and unsteady aerodynamic solvers. The study shows that differences can be observed between the three aerodynamic solvers, especially at high tip speed ratio (TSR) for which unsteady aerodynamic phenomena and complex wake dynamics occur. Observed discrepancies in the predictions of the FWT dynamic response can raise issues when designing such a system with a state‐of‐the‐art design tool.     

Wake meandering effects on floating wind turbines

As more floating farms are being developed, the wake interaction between multiple floating wind turbines (FWTs) is becoming increasingly relevant. FWTs have long natural periods in certain degrees of freedom, and the large‐scale movement of the wake, known as wake meandering, occurs at very low frequencies. In this study, we use FAST.Farm to simulate a two‐turbine case with three different FWT concepts: a semisubmersible (semi), a spar, and a tension leg platform (TLP), separated by eight rotor diameters in the wind direction. Since wake meandering varies depending on the environmental conditions, three different wind speeds (for all three concepts) as well as two different turbulence levels (for the semi) are considered. For the below‐rated wind speed, when wake meandering was most extreme, yaw motion standard deviations for the downstream semi were approximately 40% greater in high turbulence and over 100% greater in low turbulence when compared with the upstream semi. The low yaw natural frequency (0.01 Hz) of the semi was excited by meandering, while quasi‐static responses resulted in approximately 20% increases in yaw motion standard deviations for the spar and TLP. Differences in fatigue loading between the upstream and downstream turbines for the mooring line tension and tower base fore‐aft bending moment mostly depended on the velocity deficit and were not directly affected by meandering. However, wake meandering did affect fatigue loading related to the tower top yaw moment and the blade root out‐of‐plane moment.     

风浪入射角对漂浮式风力机动态响应影响研究

采用开源软件FAST并结合多体动力学方法,以驳船式(ITI Energy Barge)平台5 MW海上漂浮式风力机为研究对象,研究海上漂浮式风力机塔架与平台结构在风浪不同入射角下6个自由度大小与幅值变化,并分析风力机塔架与塔基在风浪入射角度不一致工况下的动态响应;将模拟所得数据在Matlab语言编辑的Mlife程序中运行,进而得到风力机等效疲劳载荷(DEL)。结果表明:平台6个自由度中,纵荡和纵摇随来流风速的变化最为显著;海上风力机的DEL不仅与风浪载荷大小有关,与其方向也有着密切关联;来流风、浪载荷之间的夹角较小时,风力机塔架和塔基的DEL相应较大。研究结果对海上Barge平台结构的设计与安装具有一定的参考价值。     

Aeroelastic analysis of a floating offshore wind turbine in platform‐induced surge motion using a fully coupled CFD‐MBD method

Modern offshore wind turbines are susceptible to blade deformation because of their increased size and the recent trend of installing these turbines on floating platforms in deep sea. In this paper, an aeroelastic analysis tool for floating offshore wind turbines is presented by coupling a high‐fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with a general purpose multibody dynamics code, which is capable of modelling flexible bodies based on the nonlinear beam theory. With the tool developed, we demonstrated its applications to the NREL 5 MW offshore wind turbine with aeroelastic blades. The impacts of blade flexibility and platform‐induced surge motion on wind turbine aerodynamics and structural responses are studied and illustrated by the CFD results of the flow field, force, and wake structure. Results are compared with data obtained from the engineering tool FAST v8.     

Impact of aerodynamic modelling on seakeeping performance of a floating vertical axis wind turbine

This study focuses on the impact of the aerodynamic model on the dynamic response of a floating vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT). It compares a state‐of‐the‐art quasi‐steady double multiple streamtube (DMS) solver, a prescribed vortex wake (PVW), and a free vortex wake (FVW) solver. The aerodynamic loads acting on a bottom‐fixed VAWT and computed with the three aerodynamic solvers are compared, then the dynamic responses of the floating turbine in irregular waves and turbulent wind with the different aerodynamic solvers are compared. Differences are observed, particularly in the mean motions of the platform. Eventually, the aerodynamic damping computed by the solvers are estimated with aerodynamic simulations on the turbine with imposed surge and pitch motions. The estimated damping can then be correlated with the dynamic response amplitude of the VAWT. Substantial discrepancies are observed between the three solvers at high tip speed ratio, when the rotor is highly loaded. It is shown that the quasi‐steady DMS solver seems to give greater amplitude of motions for the floating VAWT because of strong rotor/wake interaction that are not correctly accounted for.     

深海漂浮能源中心的风浪流联合试验装置

深海漂浮式能源中心的安装海域环境恶劣,其所受各种载荷多且复杂,为降低开发风险与成本,海洋工程水池实验被广泛应用于其各项研究中.提出了一种新型的风浪流联合试验系统用以对深海漂浮式能源中心进行试验研究,并介绍了该系统的各子系统及该装置可以进行的各种试验项目.该试验系统可以模拟深海条件下的风、浪、流,从而进行风力机浮台响应特性的测量与系泊拉力特性的研究.这对于深海漂浮式能源中心的研究具有非常重要的作用.     

新型张力腿平台漂浮式风力机动态响应研究

未来海上风电场的建设需要大量动态响应低且相互干扰小的漂浮式风力机,为此研究一种尺寸更小,能减少或防止相互间干扰及安装费用更低的新型张力腿平台漂浮式风力机(TLP风力机),基于辐射/绕射理论并结合有限元方法,运用水动力学软件AQWA对其在不同海况下及不同系泊系统下的动态响应进行模拟研究,得到了频域和时域的动态响应数据。结果表明:频域分析中,新型张力腿平台漂浮式风力机的运动响应主要集中在低频区域,其中横荡、垂荡及纵摇的峰值频率分别为0.1、0.35和0.19 rad/s;TLP风力机垂荡和纵摇方向上的运动响应都小于Spar风力机运动响应;横荡、垂荡及纵摇方向上,TLP风力机附加质量均远大于辐射阻尼;时域分析中,4根张紧系泊设计优于单根张紧系泊设计,能有效降低横荡和纵摇运动响应和延长系泊绳的寿命;随着海况恶劣程度的加剧,TLP风力机的动态响应也随之增大。     

多工况下漂浮式风力机张力腿平台时域响应及系泊强度分析

为研究漂浮式风力机张力腿平台在风、浪、海流载荷联合作用下的时域响应及系泊受力特征,建立漂浮式风力机及张力腿平台模型,采用有限元方法,对比分析无风、额定、最大及极限工况下张力腿平台运动响应及系泊受力。4种工况作用下,极限停机工况时漂浮式平台运动响应最大,最大作业工况其次,额定作业工况再次,无风作业工况最小;但在最大工况时系泊作用力最大。结果表明:运动响应主要集中在纵荡,垂荡和纵摇方向;作业工况越恶劣,漂浮式平台运动响应越大;系泊张力在最大作业工况时最大,但小于系泊断裂极限。