Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract

Offshore wind energy is a sustainable renewable energy source that is acquired by harnessing the force of the wind offshore, where the absence of obstructions allows the wind to travel at higher and more steady speeds. Offshore wind has recently grown in popularity because wind energy is more powerful offshore than on land. Prior to the development of floating structures, wind turbines could not be deployed in particularly deep or complicated seabed locations since they were dependent on fixed structures. With the advent of floating structures, which are moored to the seabed using flexible anchors, chains, or steel cables, wind turbines can now be placed far offshore. The deployment of floating wind turbines in deep waters is encouraged by several benefits, including steadier winds, less visual impact, and flexible acoustic noise requirements. A thorough understanding of the physics underlying the dynamic response of the floating offshore wind turbines, as well as various design principles and analysis methods, is necessary to fully compete with traditional energy sources such as fossil fuels. The present work offers a comprehensive review of the most recent state-of-the-art developments in the offshore wind turbine technology, including aerodynamics, hydromechanics, mooring, ice, and inertial loads. The existing design concepts and numerical models used to simulate the complex wind turbine dynamics are also presented, and their capabilities and limitations are discussed in detail.

Design Basis Considerations for the Design of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

“…The presence of ice and ice sheets represents special consideration for certain areas. The floating wind turbine structures can fail under compression from the ice [21] . In some areas (e.g., in the Baltic Sea and Bohai Bay), the bottom fixed wind turbines are designed to resist these loads, and the reference is usually ISO 19906 [22] .…”

Spectral fatigue analysis for legs of wind turbine units

“…The spectral fatigue analysis conducted in this study places a significant emphasis on dynamic analysis, specifically targeting the identification and evaluation of fatigue lives in critical joints within the chords and braces of the Jack-Up platform. The analysis of cumulative fatigue damage for the leg entails a multi-step process, incorporating various methods and procedures to ensure a comprehensive assessment [1].…”

Machine Learning-Based Forecasting of Metocean Data for Offshore Engineering Applications

“…The transition to renewable energy sources is being increasingly acknowledged as a critical strategy for mitigating air pollution and combating global warming [1,2]. Offshore wind energy, which is enabled by advances in floating turbine technologies, presents a sustainable solution for reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, significantly contributing to CO 2 emissions and climate change [3]. Renewable energies, such as wind power, play a pivotal role in decarbonizing the energy-production sector and mitigating the environmental and health impacts of air pollution.…”