Numerical Study on Sectional Loads and Structural Optimization of an Elastic Semi-Submersible Floating Platform

Yuliang Liu and Takeshi Ishihara
Additional contact information
Yuliang Liu: Changjiang Institute of Survey, Planning, Design and Research, No.1863 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan 430010, China
Takeshi Ishihara: Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan

Energies, 2020, vol. 14, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: This study investigates the sectional loads on an elastic semi-submersible platform for a 2 MW FOWT (floating offshore wind turbine) used in the Fukushima demonstration project. A water tank test is firstly carried out with an elastic model to study the dynamic responses and sectional loads of the platform in regular and irregular waves. Numerical simulations are then performed using multiple hydrodynamic bodies connected by elastic beams. The dynamic responses of the elastic model are compared to those of a rigid model to clarify the influence of the structural stiffness on the platform motion and mooring tension. The predicted sectional loads on the deck, brace and pontoon by the proposed nonlinear hydrodynamic models show good agreement with the experimental data obtained from the water tank test and a simplified formula is proposed to evaluate the distribution of the moments on the platform. Finally, the structural optimization of the elastic semi-submersible platform is conducted. The sectional moments and fatigue loadings on the pontoons are significantly reduced using the strut between the pontoons since the horizontal wave loads on the side column are dominant and the vertical wave loads acting on the platform are relatively small due to the deep draft.

Keywords: semi-submersible floating platform; elastic model; dynamic response; sectional loads; structural optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/182/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/1/182/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:182-:d:473420

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().