Session: 09-01-08 Wind Energy: Design and Process II

Submission Number: 182308

Coupled Hydro-Aero-Structural Evaluation of Concrete and Steel Floating Wind Turbine Platforms 

Optimizing the design of floating wind turbine platforms is essential for enhancing stability, reducing dynamic responses, and improving overall system efficiency in large-scale offshore wind applications. This study presents a coupled hydro–aero–servo–structural analysis of two semisubmersible floating wind turbine concepts, the concrete-based GERO design and the steel-based UMaine VolturnUS-S, both supporting the NREL 15 MW offshore reference turbine. The numerical framework employs the NREL open source code, complemented by comparative analyses in fully coupled areo-Hydro-servo-structural code to verify aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and structural consistency. Free-decay and frequency-domain analyses confirm close agreement between the two tools, validating the natural frequencies and damping characteristics across six degrees of freedom. Quantitatively, the Heave RAOs show a significant reduction for the GERO platform (1.15 m/m) compared to UMaine (2.6 m/m) at the same natural period (≈20 s), representing a 125% improvement in the most critical motion response. The GERO platform also exhibits higher added mass by more than 100% and damping coefficients up to 280% , which enhance hydrodynamic stability and mitigate resonant motions. Under both operational and extreme sea states, dynamic simulations demonstrate that the GERO design, with its central heave plate, achieves lower amplitudes in heave, pitch, and roll within typical wave energy spectrum of 8–12 seconds peak period, confirming improved motion control and reduced platform coupling. Overall, the results underscore the reliability of the numerical models and highlight the superior hydrodynamic and structural performance of optimized concrete semisubmersible platforms for next-generation floating offshore wind turbines.

Presenting Author: Gabriella Ramos Lacerda Ferreira Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro

Presenting Author Biography: Gabriella Ferreira is a Ph.D. student in Naval and Ocean Engineering at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). She holds a Master’s degree in Naval and Ocean Engineering, a Master’s in Production Engineering, and an MBA in Strategic Production Management. Her research focuses on the coupled hydro-aero-servo-structural analysis of floating offshore wind turbines, with applications in renewable energy integration and offshore decarbonization strategies. Gabriella also works as a Physics instructor at the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) and has participated in projects in collaboration with CNOOC, Petrobras, and TotalEnergies, addressing floating platform optimization, hydrogen production, and compliance with DNV, IEC, and ABS standards.

Authors:

Gabriella Ramos Lacerda Ferreira Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Ehsan Nikkhah Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Milad Shadman Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
John H. Chujutalli Universidade Federal do Rio Janeiro
Mojtaba Maali Amiri Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Segen Estefen Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro