A Survey of Numerical Simulation Tools for Offshore Wind Turbine Systems

Abstract

Design, analysis, manufacture, and deployment of offshore wind turbines mounted on a floating base is a novel industry that is attracting interest from both academia and industry. In an effort to comprehend the sophisticated aerodynamics and hydrodynamics of the floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs), numerical and physical modelling of these complex systems began to develop with their appearance. The strong coupling between the aerodynamics of the rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) and the hydrodynamics of the floating platform makes modelling FOWTs a challenging task. However, the scaling mismatch between Froude scaling and Reynolds scaling made it more difficult to physically test scaled-down prototypes of FOWTs, whether in a wind tunnel or an ocean basin. In this regard, developing high-fidelity numerical modelling that is both cost-effective and accurate has been receiving increased attention as a potential replacement for or complement to physical testing. However, numerical engineering tools, which are frequently used in the offshore oil and gas industry, are known as mid-fidelity to low-fidelity tools and lack the degree of accuracy that is desirable for FOWTs. In recent years, a variety of numerical tools have been established or developed to uncover the complex nature of the dynamics of FOWTs. This study aims to provide a comprehensive survey of numerical tools available for simulating FOWTs, with a particular emphasis on horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs), assessing their capabilities and limitations.