Abstract

Efficient installation technologies for foundations and integrated offshore wind turbines play an important role in reducing the construction costs of offshore wind farms. The paper proposes a concept of a multi-bucket foundation floating platform (MBFFP) for the simultaneous transport of several bucket foundation-tower-turbine (BFTT) units, which relies on the fact that the bucket foundation can be prefabricated in bulk onshore and has reasonable floating stability. In addition, preliminary feasibility studies are carried out on static stability characteristics, hydrodynamic characteristics, multi-body coupling characteristics, and structural reliability. Firstly, the MBFFP concept is developed by drawing on our team's existing engineering experience of floating platforms and on-site monitoring data, with the objective of large-scale transport and installation of BFTTs. Next, the BFTTs transportation and installation method are presented. The static stability, hydrodynamic and multi-body coupling characteristics of the MBFFP are systematically studied based on numerical simulation methods, and the strategies of foundation shipment, integrated transportation, and multi-body coupling are proposed. Finally, a SESAM-ABAQUS co-simulation method is used to investigate the spatial distribution of structural stresses and the time history of nacelle vibration acceleration at different drafts, wave heights, and wave periods. The suitable operating sea conditions are summarized based on the nacelle acceleration limits and material ultimate strength. The results show that the roll and pitch of the MBFFP during floating do not exceed 2.5° and the stresses in all parts of the structure during installation are below 250 MPa at 2.5 m significant wave height and 11 s peak period, which indicates preliminary technical feasibility. Compared with traditional installation techniques, the proposed structure and method will contribute to the efficient transportation and installation of BFTTs.

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