Loading and Structural Analysis of the Self-Aligning HyStOH Floating Wind Turbine Concept

Abstract

This paper summarizes the results of the implementation and verification of a hydro-aero-servo-elastic load simulation model for a self-aligning floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) combined with a structural analysis methodology of this FOWT structure. The main focus is a comparison of a rigid and a flexible support structure representation in the load simulation. This investigation is part of the multiparty project for the ‘Hydrodynamic and Structural Optimization of a Semi-submersible Offshore Wind Turbine’ (HyStOH), joining partners from science and industry and financially supported by the German Ministry of Economics Affairs and Energy, BMWi (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie).