Study on the Aerodynamic Performance of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Considering the Tower Shadow Effect

Abstract

The aerodynamic performance of the floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) is obviously affected by the motion of the platform, and becomes much more complicated considering the effect of tower shadow. In view of this, this paper aims at investigating the aerodynamic performance of the floating offshore wind turbine with and without a tower under the three most influential motions (surge, pitch and yaw) by computational fluid dynamic (CFD). The results show that the power of the wind turbine is reduced by 1.58% to 2.47% due to the tower shadow effect under the three motions, and the pressure difference distribution is most obviously interfered by the tower shadow effect under yaw motion and concentrates at the root and tip of the blade. In addition, the degree of interference of the tower shadow effect on the wake flow field is different under the three motions, resulting in a more complex wake structure. These conclusions can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for the optimal design of floating offshore wind turbines.