OrcaFlex Modelling of a Multi-Body Floating Solar Island Subjected to Waves

Maria Ikhennicheu, Arthur Blanc, Benoat Danglade and Jean-Christophe Gilloteaux
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Maria Ikhennicheu: INNOSEA, Bâtiment Insula, 11 Rue Arthur III, 44200 Nantes, France
Arthur Blanc: INNOSEA, Bâtiment Insula, 11 Rue Arthur III, 44200 Nantes, France
Benoat Danglade: INNOSEA, Bâtiment Insula, 11 Rue Arthur III, 44200 Nantes, France
Jean-Christophe Gilloteaux: INNOSEA, Bâtiment Insula, 11 Rue Arthur III, 44200 Nantes, France

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: Floating solar energy is an industry with great potential. As the industry matures, floating solar farms are considered in more challenging environments, where the presence of waves must be accounted for in mismatch studies and fatigue and mechanical considerations regarding electrical cables and mooring lines. Computational modelling of floating solar islands is now a critical step. The representation of such islands on industry-validated software is very complex, as it includes a large number of elements, each interacting with its neighbours. This study focuses on conditions with small waves (amplitude of <1 m) that are relevant to sheltered areas where generic float technologies can be utilized. A multi-body island composed of 3 × 3 floats is modelled in OrcaFlex. A solution to model the kinematic constraint chain between floats is presented. Three different modelling solutions are compared in terms of results and computation time. The most accurate model includes a multi-body computation of float responses in a potential flow solver (OrcaWave). However, solving the equations for a single float and applying the results to each float individually also gives accurate results and reduces the computation time by a factor of 3. These results represent a basis for further works in which larger and more realistic floating islands can be modelled.

Keywords: floating solar farms; offshore; nearshore; OrcaFlex; multi-body (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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