Design and Stability Analysis of an Offshore Floating Multi-Wind Turbine Platform

Abstract

The multi-wind turbine platform technology has the potential to harness the significant source of offshore wind energy in deep waters. However, the wake interference between the turbines on the multi-wind turbine platform can cause a reduction in power production; hence, it is important to study the wake effects in the initial phase of the design. This paper studies the effects of wake interference between the wind turbines on three different platform configurations to find a suitable configuration for the wind turbines on a multi-turbine platform. The analytical Larsen wake model and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used for evaluating the wake effects. The platform configuration required for the wind turbines is determined based on the results of wake effects, and then a novel platform is designed. The free-floating stability behavior of the multi-wind turbine platform is analyzed using the hydrostatic analysis of the modeled platform. The wave-body interaction between the platform and the waves is predicted using the hydrodynamic analysis. A preliminary cost analysis of the multi-turbine platform concept is evaluated and compared with a single wind turbine floating concept. The results showed that the presented design is a promising concept that can enhance the offshore wind industry.

Sink or Swim: A Tutorial on the Control of Floating Wind Turbines

“…Since the floating platform (and substructure) are a large fraction of the cost for floating wind turbines [134], multiturbine platforms are being explored where multiple turbines are mounted on a single floating platform. While most multiturbine platforms that have been investigated have a few turbines [135,136], concepts with many (>100) turbines on a single platform have also been proposed [137]. Varying configurations are still being investigated, and it is unclear which concepts may emerge as being reliable and able to provide electrical energy at competitive costs.…”

A Modified Reduced-Order Generalized Integrator–Frequency-Locked Loop-Based Sensorless Vector Control Scheme Including the Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm for Grid-Connected Squirrel-Cage Induction Generator Wind Turbine Systems

“…Recently, in the context of increasing concern about global warming, wind energy, with its cleanness and renewability, has emerged as a highly competitive alternative to fossil fuel resources [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. For wind turbine systems employing full-scale power converters, utilizing the squirrel-cage induction generator (SCIG) as an electromechanical energy conversion device has become prevalent as the advantages of such generators, such as cost efficiency, high reliability, and robustness [8].…”

Numerical Framework for the Coupled Analysis of Floating Offshore Multi-Wind Turbines

“…The dynamic analysis of multiple rotors is frequently addressed by uncoupling the aero-hydrodynamic responses, as in ref. [13]. These studies are mainly focused on studying the benefits of its wake interactions, as in refs [14,15], where the power increments due to the interaction of nearby rotors are analyzed, or in refs [15,16] where the fast wake recovery is studied, which allows for a reduction of the wind turbine spacing in farms.…”