An investigation of the applicability of SPIV for the analysis of the dynamics of floating offshore wind platforms

Abstract

Abstract. There is a need for new numerical tools to capture the physics of floating wind platforms more accurately to refine engineering designs and reduce costs. The conventional measurements apparatus in tank tests, including wave probs, velocity and current profiler, as well as doppler sensors, are unable to give a full 3D picture of velocity, pressure, and turbulence. In tank testing, the use of the underwater stereoscopic PIV method to fully characterise the 3D flow field around floating platforms can provide a rich source of validation data and overcome some of the limitations associated with more classical measurement techniques. This optical technique can be used to accurately measure the random and chaotic structure of turbulent flows around the floater. Moreover, the main characteristics of turbulence of the flow around the floater, such as rotationality, diffusivity, irregularity, as well as dissipation, can be extracted and studied. The underwater S-PIV method has been widely used for marine and offshore applications, including studies on ship and propeller wakes and tidal stream turbines; however, to date, this technology has not seen widespread use for the hydrodynamic study of floating offshore wind turbines. Therefore, in the current study, the key considerations for using S-PIV for this purpose are discussed; meanwhile, the related studies in the field of quantitative flow measurements are reviewed.