Numerical investigation of the aerodynamic and wake characteristics of a floating twin-rotor wind turbine under surge motion

Abstract

To elevate the power capacity of floating wind turbines and cut costs, development towards large-scale systems is underway. However, this requires solving the problem of fatigue loading on large, flexible blades, as well as corresponding improvements to production and installation technology. As an alternative to larger turbines, twin-rotor floating wind turbines have been proposed. The aerodynamic and wake interference characteristics of this twin-rotor are not yet well understood. In this study, we have investigated the power and wake characteristics of a twin-rotor floating wind turbine based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes turbulence model for a comprehensive analysis. Specifically, the power and wake recovery of a twin-rotor floating horizontal-axis wind turbine (FHAWT) under surge motion are compared in detail with those of a single floating wind turbine and bottom-fixed case, while both the effects of the three wind directions (β = 0°, 45°, 90°) and spacing ratios (S/D = 1.2, 1.375, 1.5) are considered. The results suggest that the mean power of the twin-rotor is enhanced by a maximum of 13% under surge motion compared to the single rotor, the small spacing ratio promotes the power gain. Surge motion plays a significant role in wake interaction between the twin-rotor and facilitates wake recovery. As compared to the baseline case, both power and wake recovery performance of the twin-rotor are boosted at β = 45°, with an increase in power of 12.7% as opposed to the single rotor. The modified Jensen wake model is proposed for the far-wake region and a modified Gaussian wake model is also suggested for different cases. This study can provide affiliated guidance for the application of the twin-rotor floating wind turbine.