Dynamics of Offshore Wind Turbine Platforms

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Wind energy is now acknowledged to be the most economically viable form of alternative energy---in some cases producing power at lower cost than conventional sources. Energy produced by wind turbines also has certain drawbacks, including intermittency and opposition by local interest groups. Placing wind turbines offshore can overcome some of these obstacles: offshore wind is stronger and more consistent, and the turbines are largely out of sight, thus attracting less opposition. To date, all offshore wind turbine installations have been 'fixed-bottom': the supporting platform is rigidly anchored to the seabed, in depths of 20-30 m. However, there is increasing interest in placing turbines farther offshore on floating platforms, in depths of hundreds of meters. An offshore floating wind turbine is composed of a horizontal axis turbine atop a tall mast. The mast is mounted on a buoyant platform, of which there are many types, and that platform is anchored to the seabed by an array of cables. The dynamics of these systems is complex due to the flexibility of the turbine blades, the boom and the tethers. The research proposed here focuses on the dynamics and design of these multi-tethered offshore platforms. The goal is to evaluate proposed designs, and eventually to propose new designs, based on analysis of these systems. Our past experience in analogous multi-tethered buoyant systems provides us many uncommon insights into the behavior of these complex systems.