Structural Parametric Optimization of the VolturnUS-S Semi-Submersible Foundation for a 15 MW Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Abstract

The full exploitation of offshore wind resources can essentially satisfy the massive energy demand. The realization and application of ultra-high-power offshore wind turbines are crucial to achieving full use of deep-sea wind energy and reducing the cost of wind power. For the VolturnUS-S semi-submersible floating foundation of a 15 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine, the effect of structural parameters on hydrodynamic performance was investigated by controlling the variables described in this paper. Accordingly, the floating foundation was optimized and coupled to the 15 MW offshore wind turbine. The dynamic performance of the integrated 15 MW offshore wind turbine was analyzed under different operating conditions, by applying the aero-hydro-servo-elastic coupled method. The results show that for a wave in a 0-degree direction, a 5% increase of column spacing will reduce the peak value of the pitch transfer function by 33.61%, and that a 5% decrease of the outer column diameter will further reduce the peak value by 26.27%. The standard deviation of the time-domain surge responses was reduced by 19.78% for the optimized offshore wind turbine, and the maximum value of the mooring line tension was reduced by 13.55% under normal operating conditions.