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Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

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A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Ocean Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 May 2025 | Viewed by 8830

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nuno Fonseca

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Guest Editor

Ships and Ocean Structures, SINTEF Ocean AS, Trondheim, Norway
Interests: offshore hydrodynamics; station keeping; floating wind energy

Dr. Petter Andreas Berthelsen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Energy and Transport, SINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, Norway
Interests: offshore wind energy; offshore hydrodynamics; station keeping; computational fluid dynamics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the demand for sustainable energy sources grows, floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have emerged as a promising solution to harness wind energy in deeper waters. While the projections for deployment capacity over the coming decades point towards exponential growth, the challenges to overcome are also very significant. Research and innovation are needed to allow for safe, cost-effective and sustainable projects.

This Special Issue focuses on the latest advancements in modelling techniques for FOWTs, both experimental and numerical, addressing critical challenges faced by the design, operation and decommissioning of floating wind turbines. We aim at collecting contributions focused on the following topics:

Wind resource assessment;
Wake modelling;
Experimental model testing;
Hydrodynamics;
Mooring analysis;
Power cables dynamics;
Wind turbine controllers;
Fully coupled modelling;
Structural analysis;
Digital twins;
Offshore operations.

Dr. Nuno Fonseca
Dr. Petter Andreas Berthelsen
Guest Editors

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Keywords

floating offshore wind turbine
numerical modelling
experimental modelling
fully coupled dynamics
wave–structure hydrodynamics
aero-elastic dynamics
control strategies

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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32 pages, 15864 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coupled Aerodynamic–Hydrodynamic Analysis of Spar-Type Floating Foundations with Normal and Lightweight Concrete for Offshore Wind Energy in Colombia

by Jose Calderón, Andrés Guzmán and William Gómez

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(2), 273; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020273 - 31 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1215

Abstract

Foundations for offshore wind turbines come in various types, with spar-type floating foundations being the most promising for different depths. This research analyzed the hydrodynamic–mechanical response of a 5 MW spar-type floating foundation under conditions typical of the Colombian Caribbean following the DNV standard. Two types of concrete were evaluated through numerical modeling: one with normal density (2400 kg/m³) and another with lightweight density (1900 kg/m³). Based on the hydrodynamic and structural dynamic response, it was concluded that the variation in concrete density only affected pitch rotation, with better performance observed in the lightweight concrete, achieving maximum rotations of 10°. The coupled model between QBlade and Aqwa was validated by code-to-code comparisons with QBlade’s fully coupled system with its ocean module. This study contributes to offshore engineering in Colombia by providing a detailed methodology for developing a coupled simulation, serving as a reference for both academia and industry amid the ongoing and projected wind energy development initiatives in the country. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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19 pages, 3145 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Investigating Morison Modeling of Viscous Forces by Steep Waves on Columns of a Fixed Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

by Fatemeh Hoseini Dadmarzi, Babak Ommani, Andrea Califano, Nuno Fonseca and Petter Andreas Berthelsen

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2025, 13(2), 264; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse13020264 - 30 Jan 2025

Viewed by 554

Abstract

Mean and slowly varying wave loads on floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) need to be estimated accurately for the design of mooring systems. The low-frequency drift forces are underestimated by potential flow theory, especially in steep waves. Viscous forces on columns is an important contributor which could be included by adding the quadratic drag of Morison formulation to the potential flow solution. The drag coefficients in Morison equation can be determined based on an empirical formula, CFD study, or model testing. In the WINDMOOR project, a FOWT support structure, composed of three columns joined at the bottom by pontoons and at the top by deck beams, is studied using CFD. In order to extract the KC-dependent drag coefficients, a series of simulations for the fixed structure in regular waves is performed with the CFD code STAR-CCM+. In this study, the forces along each column of the FOWT are analyzed using the results of CFD as well as potential flow simulations. The hydrodynamic interactions between the columns are addressed. A methodology is proposed to process the CFD results of forces on the columns and extract the contribution of viscous effects. Limitations of the Morison drag model to represent extracted viscous forces in steep waves are investigated. The obtained drag coefficients are compared with the available data in the literature. It is shown that accounting for potential flow interactions and nonlinear flow kinematics could, to a large degree, explain the previously reported differences between drag coefficients for a column in waves. Moreover, it is shown that the proposed model can capture the contribution of viscous effects to mean drift forces for fixed columns in waves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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22 pages, 1102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving O&M Simulations by Integrating Vessel Motions for Floating Wind Farms

by Vinit V. Dighe, Lu-Jan Huang, Jaume Hernandez Montfort and Jorrit-Jan Serraris

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(11), 1948; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12111948 - 31 Oct 2024

Viewed by 1083

Abstract

This study presents an integrated methodology for evaluating operations and maintenance (O&M) costs for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs), incorporating vessel motion dynamics. By combining UWiSE, a discrete-event simulation tool, with SafeTrans, a voyage simulation software, vessel motion effects during offshore operations are modeled. The approach is demonstrated in a case study at two wind farm sites, Marram Wind and Celtic Sea C. Three major component replacement (MCR) strategies were assessed: Tow-to-Port (T2P), Floating-to-Floating (FTF), and Self-Hoisting Crane (SHC). The T2P strategy yielded the highest O&M costs—94 kEUR/MW/year at Marram Wind and 97 kEUR/MW/year at Celtic Sea C—due to the extended MCR durations (90–180 days), leading to lower availability (90–94%). In contrast, the FTF and SHC strategies offered significantly lower costs and downtime. The SHC strategy was most cost-effective, reducing costs by up to 64% while achieving 97–98% availability. The integrated approach was found to be either more restrictive or more permissive depending on the specific sea states influencing the motion responses. This variability highlights the critical role of motion-based dynamics in promoting safe and efficient O&M practices, particularly for advancing FOWT operations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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16 pages, 2230 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Computational Analysis of Stiffness Reduction Effects on the Dynamic Behaviour of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Blades

by Daniel O. Aikhuele and Ogheneruona E. Diemuodeke

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(10), 1846; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12101846 - 16 Oct 2024

Viewed by 1069

Abstract

This paper describes the study of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) blade in terms of its dynamic response due to structural damage and its repercussions on structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Using a finite element model, natural frequencies and mode shapes were derived for both an undamaged and a damaged blade configuration. A 35% reduction in stiffness at node 1 was applied in order to simulate significant damage. Concretely, the results are that the intact blade has a fundamental frequency of 0.16 Hz, and this does not change when damaged, while higher modes exhibit frequency changes: mode 2 drops from 2.05 Hz to 2.00 Hz and mode 3 from 6.15 Hz to 6.01 Hz. The shifts show a critical loss in the capability of handling vibrational energy due to the damage; higher modes (4, 5, and 6) show larger frequency deviations going down to as low as 18.06 Hz in mode 6. The mode shape change is considerable for the edge-wise and flap-wise deflection of the 2D contour plots, indicating possible coupling effects between modes. These results indicate that lower modes are sensitive to stiffness reductions, and the continuous monitoring of the lower harmonic modes early is required to detect damages. These studies have helped to improve blade design, maintenance, and operational safety for FOWT systems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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21 pages, 3418 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Performance of a Cable-Driven Robot Used for Cyber–Physical Testing of Floating Wind Turbines

by Yngve Jenssen, Thomas Sauder and Maxime Thys

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(9), 1669; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12091669 - 18 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1217

Abstract

Cyber–physical testing has been applied for a decade in hydrodynamic laboratories to assess the dynamic performance of floating wind turbines (FWTs) in realistic wind and wave conditions. Aerodynamic loads, computed by a numerical simulator fed with model test measurements, are applied in real time on the physical model using actuators. The present paper proposes a set of short and targeted benchmark tests that aim to quantify the performance of actuators used in cyber–physical FWT testing. They aim at ensuring good load tracking over all frequencies of interest and satisfactory disturbance rejection for large motions to provide a realistic test setup. These benchmark tests are exemplified on two radically different 15 MW FWT models tested at SINTEF Ocean using a cable-driven robot. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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20 pages, 5239 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Wave Drift Force Model for Semi-Submersible Types of Floating Wind Turbines in Large Waves and Current

by Nuno Fonseca and Fatemeh H. Dadmarzi

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(8), 1389; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12081389 - 14 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1151

Abstract

The correct prediction of slowly varying wave drift loads is important for the mooring analysis of floating wind turbines (FWTs). However, present design analysis tools fail to correctly predict these loads in conditions with current and moderate and large waves. This paper presents a semi-empirical method to correct zero-current potential-flow quadratic transfer functions (QTFs) of horizontal wave drift loads in conditions with current and moderate and large waves. The method is applicable to column-stabilized types of substructures or semi-submersibles. In the first step, the potential-flow QTF is corrected for potential-flow wave–current effects by applying a heuristic method. Second, the generalized Exwave formula corrects for viscous drift effects. Viscous drift effects become important for moderate and large waves. Conditions with current in the same direction as the waves increase the viscous drift contribution further. The method is validated by comparing QTF predictions with empirical QTFs identified from model test data for the INO Windmoor semi. While potential-flow QTFs agree well with the empirical data for small seastates without current, they underestimate the wave drift loads for moderate and large seastates. Conditions with current increase the underestimation. The semi-empirical correction method significantly improves predictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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Review

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37 pages, 4699 KiB

Open AccessReview

Coupled Aero–Hydrodynamic Analysis in Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: A Review of Numerical and Experimental Methodologies

by Jinlong He, Xuran Men, Bo Jiao, Haihua Lin, Hongyuan Sun and Xue-Mei Lin

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2024, 12(12), 2205; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12122205 - 2 Dec 2024

Viewed by 1329

Abstract

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) have received increasing attention as a crucial component in renewable energy systems in recent years. However, due to the intricate interactions between aerodynamics and hydrodynamics, accurately predicting the performance and response remains a challenging task. This study examines recent advancements in the coupled aero–hydrodynamic numerical simulations for horizontal-axis FOWTs, categorizing existing research by coupling methods: uncoupled, partially coupled, and fully coupled. The review summarizes models, methodologies, and key parameters investigated. Most partially coupled analyses rely on forced oscillation, while the interplay between aerodynamics and elasticity, as well as interactions among multiple FOWTs, remain under-explored. Additionally, this review describes relevant physical model tests, including wave basin tests, wind tunnel tests, and real-time hybrid tests (RTHT). Although RTHT faces issues related to system time delays, they have garnered significant attention for addressing scale effects. The paper compares the three coupling methods, emphasizing the importance of selecting the appropriate approach based on specific design stage requirements to balance accuracy and computational efficiency. Finally, it suggests future research directions, offering a meaningful reference for researchers engaged in studying the aero–hydrodynamic behavior of FOWTs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Modelling Techniques for Floating Offshore Wind Turbines)

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