Dynamics of Offshore Wind Turbine Platforms

风能现在被认为是经济上最可行的替代能源形式-在某些情况下，以比传统能源更低的成本发电。风力涡轮机产生的能源也有一定的缺点，包括间歇性和当地利益集团的反对。在海上安装风力涡轮机可以克服其中的一些障碍：海上风力更强、更稳定，涡轮机基本上看不见，因此招致的反对较少。到目前为止，所有海上风力涡轮机的安装都是“固定底部”的：支撑平台牢固地固定在海底，深度为20-30米。然而，人们对在更远的海上、数百米深的浮动平台上安装涡轮机的兴趣与日俱增。海上浮动风力发电机组是由水平轴风力发电机组安装在高大的桅杆上组成的。桅杆安装在浮式平台上，浮式平台的类型很多，该平台通过一系列缆索锚定在海床上。由于涡轮叶片、吊杆和系绳的灵活性，这些系统的动力学是复杂的。本文的研究重点是这些多系绳海洋平台的动力学和设计。目标是评估提议的设计，并最终基于对这些系统的分析提出新的设计。我们过去在类似的多绳系浮力系统中的经验为我们提供了许多关于这些复杂系统行为的不寻常的见解。

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.