Session: 06-05-03 Marine Hydrodynamics - III

Submission Number: 180504

Hydrodynamic Analysis of a Moored Floating Platform Under Different Power Configurations 

Amid global climate change and the push toward a green economy, the deployment of renewable energy sources has become a critical priority. Taiwan, with its advantageous geographic location, is well-positioned to harness ocean current energy—particularly from the Kuroshio Current off its eastern coast, which holds a potential generation capacity of 4 to 10 GW. Notably, ocean current energy exhibits low seasonal variability, making it a promising candidate for stable baseload power.

This study investigates the dynamic characteristics of a moored floating platform (FP) integrated with hybrid power generation systems. Using the NREL OC4 DeepCWind semi-submersible platform as a reference model, simulations were conducted in OrcaFlex across four configurations: a bare platform (FP), a platform with a wind turbine (FP-W), a platform with an ocean-current duct (FP-D), and a hybrid platform combining both systems (FP-H). Free-decay tests were performed to evaluate natural periods, and validation against existing literature showed errors within 5% across all degrees of freedom, confirming the high reliability of the platform models. Response Amplitude Operator (RAO) analyses under regular wave conditions also demonstrated strong agreement with previously published results, further validating the modeling approach and simulation accuracy.

Comparative hydrodynamic analyses revealed that, despite differences in total mass and draft, the natural periods in Surge, Sway, and Yaw motions remained consistent across configurations—primarily due to the shared mooring system and minimal variation (less than 5%) in mooring line stiffness. Among all configurations, the hybrid platform (FP-H) exhibited the longest natural periods in Roll (27.8 s), Pitch (24.7 s), and Heave (18.2 s) motions, followed closely by FP-W and FP-D in their respective domains. These findings offer valuable insights for the future design and optimization of floating hybrid renewable energy systems, particularly those integrating ocean current energy technologies.

Presenting Author: Sheng-Chi Chang National Sun Yat-sen University

Presenting Author Biography: Sheng-Chi Chang is currently pursuing his M.S. degree in the Department of Marine Environment and Engineering at National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU). He received his B.S. degree from the same department. His research primarily focuses on offshore floating structures, mooring systems, and numerical simulation. This presentation stems from his thesis research on the coupled dynamic response of a moored floating platform integrated with hybrid power units. He has a strong interest in advancing innovative ocean energy harvesting technologies.

Authors:

Sheng-Chi Chang National Sun Yat-sen University
Po-Hung Yeh National Sun Yat-sen University
Ray-Yeng Yang National Cheng Kung University
Zong-Yong Tsai National Sun Yat-sen University