Abstract:
Traditional hydrodynamic software and other numerical analysis codes can not fully consider the blade aerodynamic load distribution, vortex wake structure and wind-wave coupling effect. Thus, a fully coupled aero-hydro- mooring dynamic method is established through the dynamic flow interaction model in STAR-CCM+ with superposition motion and catenary mooring solver to develop a more reliable numerical model of floating offshore wind turbines. The reliability of the proposed coupling model is verified by analyzing the free decay tests of the platform, the 6 degrees of freedom responses and the rotor aerodynamic performance. Three-dimensional visual flow field analysis shows that the floating wind turbine generates 6 degrees of freedom motion under wave excitation. The shedding vortices from blades and vortex tubes interact with the wake vortices, further increasing the complexity of the flow field. The results provide a theoretical reference for the flow field optimization and design of floating offshore wind turbines.