Eliciting dynamic features of a large interconnected box-pontoon-type offshore floating photovoltaic array

This paper investigates a 5MW box-pontoon-type interconnected Offshore Floating Photovoltaic (OFPV) square platform with a side length of 160 m. Two primary problems in designing the box-pontoon-type OFPV platform are addressed, that is, the optimal modular unit size (hinge configurations) within specific wavelength range, and under what conditions can the structure be treated rigid to mitigate computational cost. To deal with the first issue, the displacement type is proposed after investigations into hydroelasticity of fifteen hinge configurations. The selected hinge configurations should put the structure in proper displacement type with relatively small vertical displacement and mild hinge shear force. To deal with the latter issue, dynamic responses of rigid modular units are calculated and compared, which indicate the box-pontoon-type OFPV cannot be simplified as rigid bodies unless it has an unrealistic large elastic modulus. The genralized rigid state is then proposed to illustrate a critical elastic modulus value, which shows that hydroelasticity will stablize instead of increasing once the structure’s elastic modulus exceeds this value.