Abstract
The ability of Single Point Moored Downwind platforms to align with the main wind direction, depends on the floater and wind turbine design. When co-directionality between wind, waves and current exists, there is no external loading that can difficult the floater alignment. On the other hand, when certain metocean conditions take place, such as a crosscurrent, a misaligning force can prevent the floater to face towards the main wind direction.In this study, the PivotBuoy floater is used to evaluate the Single Point Moored platform’s ability to align with the main wind direction. The platform dynamics are assessed under irregular wind and wave conditions for current speeds ranging from 0.1 m/s to 1.5 m/s for different wind-current alignments. Two solutions for improving the platform alignment are presented and compared against the baseline case, for the extreme and unusual condition where the platform is operating with a crosscurrent of 90° and 0.4 m/s. Both proposed strategies, an active, based on Individual Pitch Control, and a passive where a static nacelle yaw offset is used, are able to reduce the mean alignment to be within 0.8° compared to the baseline case of 18.7°. The preliminary analysis show promising results for the proposed solutions but need to be further investigated in detail.
Highlights
The European commission targets carbon-neutrality by 2050 and identifies wind energy as a driving technology to fulfill the commitment [1]
The ability of Single Point Moored Downwind platforms to align with the main wind direction, depends on the floater and wind turbine design
Among the various existing innovative floating concepts, Single Point Moored (SPM) platforms bring to the table a series of innovations that overcome some of the floating-wind constraints previously defined
Summary
The European commission targets carbon-neutrality by 2050 and identifies wind energy as a driving technology to fulfill the commitment [1]. The wind energy market is pointing towards solutions on deeper waters of which an important part will be covered by floating wind. Among the various existing innovative floating concepts, Single Point Moored (SPM) platforms bring to the table a series of innovations that overcome some of the floating-wind constraints previously defined. The PivotBuoy platform, developed by X1 Wind, includes a SPM system which integrates mooring, anchoring system and electrical point in a single point. A downwind concept is used to facilitate the platform alignment with the wind direction, known as weathervaning effect, and unlocks additional advantages for large-scale offshore machines such as the possibility of increase blade deflection. The designed mechanism for platform self-alignment on a MW-machine might not be sufficient and can lead to undesired misalignment when certain metocean conditions occur.
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