Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine

The effects of wave and current on floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are usually treated separately without considering their inherent interaction. In this study, the coupling effect of wave and current on the dynamic responses of a semi-submerged FOWT carrying a 5-MW NREL turbine is investiga...

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Main Authors: Bang Wu, Biswajit Basu, Lin Chen, Xugang Hua, Wenxi Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/1802
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author Bang Wu
Biswajit Basu
Lin Chen
Xugang Hua
Wenxi Wang
author_facet Bang Wu
Biswajit Basu
Lin Chen
Xugang Hua
Wenxi Wang
author_sort Bang Wu
collection DOAJ
description The effects of wave and current on floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are usually treated separately without considering their inherent interaction. In this study, the coupling effect of wave and current on the dynamic responses of a semi-submerged FOWT carrying a 5-MW NREL turbine is investigated. A numerical model considering the wave–current interaction is introduced, which accounts for the frequency shifts and surface profile changes for waves traveling over currents. The dynamic structural model of the semi-submerged FOWT is established in ANSYS AQWA, where the aero-servo-structural loadings on tower and turbine were obtained from the FAST platform by using the FAST-to-AQWA coding program. Irregular waves with 1- and 50-year return periods, in conjunction with a uniform current, were adopted to evaluate the coupling interaction effects. Waves traveling on positive and on opposite currents are examined in different cases with waves and currents propagating along the surge or sway direction. Waves consistently propagate along positive surge or sway direction. Waves interacting with positive or opposite currents have dramatically different modifications on the wave spectrum. Differences of up to 22% are recorded by comparing both the main motions and mooring tension when the interaction of waves and currents is considered or not. The coupling interaction between waves and currents has a limited influence on the tower base shear forces and bending moments. It was found that a straightforward superposition approach to evaluate the effect of the waves and the currents may underestimate the dynamic motions and mooring tension of FOWTs.
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spelling doaj-art-83e6c3df3d3f460bbea4fda9c39970c22025-08-20T02:01:20ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-02-01154180210.3390/app15041802Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind TurbineBang Wu0Biswajit Basu1Lin Chen2Xugang Hua3Wenxi Wang4State Key Laboratory of Bridge Engineering Safety and Resilience, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaSchool of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, D02 PN40 Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Bridge Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bridge Engineering Safety and Resilience, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Bridge Engineering Safety and Resilience, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, ChinaThe effects of wave and current on floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are usually treated separately without considering their inherent interaction. In this study, the coupling effect of wave and current on the dynamic responses of a semi-submerged FOWT carrying a 5-MW NREL turbine is investigated. A numerical model considering the wave–current interaction is introduced, which accounts for the frequency shifts and surface profile changes for waves traveling over currents. The dynamic structural model of the semi-submerged FOWT is established in ANSYS AQWA, where the aero-servo-structural loadings on tower and turbine were obtained from the FAST platform by using the FAST-to-AQWA coding program. Irregular waves with 1- and 50-year return periods, in conjunction with a uniform current, were adopted to evaluate the coupling interaction effects. Waves traveling on positive and on opposite currents are examined in different cases with waves and currents propagating along the surge or sway direction. Waves consistently propagate along positive surge or sway direction. Waves interacting with positive or opposite currents have dramatically different modifications on the wave spectrum. Differences of up to 22% are recorded by comparing both the main motions and mooring tension when the interaction of waves and currents is considered or not. The coupling interaction between waves and currents has a limited influence on the tower base shear forces and bending moments. It was found that a straightforward superposition approach to evaluate the effect of the waves and the currents may underestimate the dynamic motions and mooring tension of FOWTs.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/1802wave–current interactionsemi-submerged floating offshore wind turbinecoupled dynamic analysis
spellingShingle Bang Wu
Biswajit Basu
Lin Chen
Xugang Hua
Wenxi Wang
Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
Applied Sciences
wave–current interaction
semi-submerged floating offshore wind turbine
coupled dynamic analysis
title Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
title_full Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
title_fullStr Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
title_full_unstemmed Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
title_short Coupling Effect of Waves and Currents on Dynamic Responses of a Semi-Submerged Floating Wind Turbine
title_sort coupling effect of waves and currents on dynamic responses of a semi submerged floating wind turbine
topic wave–current interaction
semi-submerged floating offshore wind turbine
coupled dynamic analysis
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/1802
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AT linchen couplingeffectofwavesandcurrentsondynamicresponsesofasemisubmergedfloatingwindturbine
AT xuganghua couplingeffectofwavesandcurrentsondynamicresponsesofasemisubmergedfloatingwindturbine
AT wenxiwang couplingeffectofwavesandcurrentsondynamicresponsesofasemisubmergedfloatingwindturbine