ePrints

Experimental Validation of a Fully Coupled Frequency-Domain Method for Global Response Analysis of Floating Wind Turbines

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Zhiqiang HuORCiD

Downloads

Full text for this publication is not currently held within this repository. Alternative links are provided below where available.

Abstract

© Chinese Ocean Engineering Society and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026.The design of floating wind turbines (FWTs) requires comprehensive consideration of complex marine environments and coupled responses among various components. The efficiency of current time domain simulation methods remains insufficient for design and optimization in the early stages of FWT development. This study validates a proposed frequency domain (FD) modeling method through code-to-experiment comparison. The FD method incorporates fundamental assumptions about the FWT model, including representing the FWT tower as a nonlinear beam and modeling the rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) and floating platform as rigid bodies positioned at each end of the tower. The method incorporates excitation loads using blade element momentum theory, linear potential flow theory, and quasi-static catenary theory for aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and mooring dynamics, respectively. Validation involves a code-to-experiment comparison through a basin model test utilizing a 1/50 scaled semi-submersible platform equipped with a 5MW wind turbine. The results demonstrate strong correlation with experimental data regarding mean response and power spectral density of platform and nacelle motions. The overall discrepancy for these physical quantities remains below 10%. Specifically, the mean discrepancy of platform surge and pitch motions under combined wind and wave conditions measures 1.05% and 3.91%, respectively. This validation confirms the viability of the proposed FD method, offering substantial technical support for early-phase analysis and optimization of FWT. The validation results contribute significantly to advancing FWT design and optimization understanding.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Chen P, Li C-E, Deng S, Cheng Z-S, Erfort G, Hu Z-Q

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: China Ocean Engineering

Year: 2026

Volume: 40

Issue: 2

Pages: 250-260

Online publication date: 14/05/2026

Acceptance date: 04/06/2025

ISSN (print): 0890-5487

ISSN (electronic): 2191-8945

Publisher: Springer Verlag

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13344-026-0020-6

DOI: 10.1007/s13344-026-0020-6

Altmetrics

Share