Design Process of the WindFloat Hull and Mooring System for WFA

Abstract

Abstract The WindFloat Atlantic (WFA) project is a small wind farm of three floating wind turbines offshore Portugal for a total installed capacity of 25 MW. The WindFloat, a semi-submersible type of platform, was designed by Principle Power to support a MHI Vestas 8.4 MW wind turbine for the WFA project. This paper summarizes the overall design process for the WindFloat platform and mooring system that was undertaken during the project engineering phase (FEED and Detail Design), with a large focus on the description of the interface between the wind turbine manufacturer, MHI Vestas Offshore Wind (MVOW), and the floating foundation designer, Principle Power (PPI). The design process and interface established during the WFA project described in this paper provides confidence in the design of the integrated system (platform, mooring, tower and RNA) and led to the successful class certification of the WFA project. This design and certification process can inspire future floating offshore wind projects to help accelerate the creation of this new floating wind industry.