Numerical modeling of a mooring line system for an offshore floating wind turbine in Vietnamese sea conditions using nonlinear materials

Abstract

The offshore renewable energy industry has been developing farms of floating offshore wind turbines in water depths up to 100 m. In Vietnam, floating offshore wind turbines have been developed to increase the production of clean and sustainable energy. The mooring system, which is used to keep the turbine stable and ensure the safety and economic efficiency of wind power production, is an important part of a floating offshore wind turbine. Appropriate selection of the mooring type and mooring line material can reduce the risks arising from the motion of wind turbines. Different types of mooring line material have been simulated and compared in order to determine the optimal type with the minimum motion risk for a floating wind turbine. This study focused on numerical modeling of semi-taut mooring systems using nonlinear materials for a semi-submersible wind turbine. Several modeling approaches common to current practice were applied. Hydrodynamic analysis was performed to investigate the motion of the response amplitude operators of the floating wind turbine. Dynamic analysis of mooring systems was performed using a time domain to obtain the tension responses of mooring lines under the ultimate limit states and fatigue limit states in Vietnamese sea conditions. The results showed that the use of nonlinear materials (polyester and/or nylon) for mooring systems can minimize the movement of the turbine and save costs. The use of synthetic fibers can reduce the maximum tension in mooring lines and the length of mooring lines. However, synthetic fiber ropes showed highly nonlinear load elongation properties, which were difficult to simulate using numerical software. The comparison of the characteristics of polyester and nylon mooring lines showed that the maximum and mean tensions of the nylon line were less than those of the polyester line. In addition, the un-stretched length of the polyester line was greater than that of the nylon line under the same mean tension load. Therefore, nylon material is recommended for the mooring lines of a floating offshore wind turbine.