Experimental Study on the Stability Performance and Turning Motion of Multi-Connection VAWT

Abstract

In this study, a series of dedicated water tank tests were conducted in wind and waves to investigate the stability performance and turning motion of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine (FOWT) equipped with two vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). The FOWT targeted in this study is called Multi-connection VAWT, which is a new type of FOWT moored by Single-Point-Mooring (SPM) system. We designed and manufactured two types of semi-submersible floating bodies. One is a type in which VAWTs are mounted in two places of a right-angled isosceles triangle (Type-A) on a single floater, and the other is two independent units equipped with VAWTs on two separate floaters centered on a moored body. This is a type in which two semi-submersible floating bodies are lined up in a straight line (Type-B). The experimental conditions were determined by scaling down to 1/100 using Froude’s scaling law based on a wind thrust load of 320 kN (rated wind speed of 12 m/s) assuming an actual machine. In the free yawing test in waves, Type-A turned downwards, while Type-B was barely affected by the waves. Furthermore, in the free yawing test in wind, both Type-A and Type-B turned leeward and stabilized at a final point where the wind load was balanced.