Fluid-structure interaction simulation of floating wind turbines interacting with complex, large-scale ocean waves

ORAL

Abstract

We develop a numerical method for simulating coupled interactions of complex floating structures with large-scale ocean waves and atmospheric turbulence. The Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) solver integrates the curvilinear immersed boundary method of Borazjani et al. (JCP 2008) with the level-set method of Kang et al. (Adv. in Water Res. 2012) and is capable of simulating the coupled dynamic interaction of arbitrarily complex bodies with airflow and waves. The large-scale wave model is based on the two-fluid coupled approach of Yang et al. (JCP 2011), which employs a high-order spectral method for simulating the water motion and a viscous solver with undulatory boundaries for the air motion. The large-scale wave field solver is coupled with the near-field FSI solver by feeding into the latter large-scale waves via the pressure-forcing method of Guo et al. (JCP 2009), appropriately adapted herein for the level set method. We validate the model under both simple wave trains and three-dimensional directional waves and compare the results with experimental and theoretical solutions. Finally, we demonstrate the capabilities of the new solver by carrying out large eddy simulation of a floating offshore wind turbine platform interacting with realistic ocean waves.

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Authors

  • Antoni Calderer

    St. Anthony Falls Lab., University of Minnesota

  • Xin Guo

    St. Anthony Falls Lab., University of Minnesota

  • Lian Shen

    St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, St. Anthony Falls Lab., University of Minnesota

  • Fotis Sotiropoulos

    University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Lab., University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, 2 Third Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota