Dynamics of Offshore Floating Wind Turbines

Floating wind turbines are poised to unlock vast wind resources in deep waters where fixed foundations become impractical or uneconomic. Their dynamics arise from the interplay of aerodynamic forces on the rotor, hydrodynamic loading on the submerged structure and the restoring actions of the mooring system. These interactions manifest across six degrees of freedom—surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch and yaw—and give rise to complex motion responses under combined wind, wave and current excitation. Platform motions modulate the effective wind inflow, alter wake development and can amplify fatigue loads on blades and support structures. Conversely, aerodynamic thrust and blade-induced vibrations feed back into the hydrodynamic motion through sway and pitch. Advances in coupled simulation frameworks and scale-model experiments have shed light on low-frequency resonances, nonlinear wave effects and control strategies tailored to floating configurations. Global demonstration projects have validated semisubmersible, spar and tension-leg platforms in harsh environments, underlining the technology’s role in accelerating offshore wind deployment towards net-zero targets. Yet challenges remain in accurately predicting second-order hydrodynamic loads, refining wake models under platform motion and co-optimising platform geometry with control systems to minimise cost of energy and structural risk.

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Dynamics of Offshore Floating Wind Turbines publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in dynamics of offshore floating wind turbines across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Fluid–structure interaction (FSI): Coupled interaction between aerodynamic forces on the rotor and hydrodynamic forces on the floating support structure leading to mutual influence on loads and motions.

Semisubmersible: A floating platform with multiple hulls submerged below the waterline, offering buoyancy and stability, commonly used for offshore wind turbines.

Spar: A deep-draft cylindrical floating platform providing stiffness in pitch and heave through submerged ballast, suited to deep-water installations.

Mooring system: Anchoring lines or tethers connecting the floating platform to the seabed, controlling station-keeping and influencing low-frequency motions.

Pitch motion: Rotation of the floating structure about its transverse axis, affecting aerodynamic inflow and wake evolution.

References

1. Evolution of floating offshore wind platforms: A review of at-sea devices. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2023).
2. Establishing a fully coupled CFD analysis tool for floating offshore wind turbines. Renewable Energy (2017).
3. A reference open-source controller for fixed and floating offshore wind turbines. Wind Energy Science (2022).
4. Experimental Study on Influence of Pitch Motion on the Wake of a Floating Wind Turbine Model. Energies (2014).
5. The effects of second-order hydrodynamics on a semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine. Journal of Physics Conference Series (2014).
6. OC6 Phase I: Investigating the underprediction of low-frequency hydrodynamic loads and responses of a floating wind turbine. Journal of Physics Conference Series (2020).
7. Integrated design optimization of spar floating wind turbines. Marine Structures (2020).