Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for offshore applications among potentialities and challenges: A review

Ghigo, Alberto; Faraggiana, Emilio; Giorgi, Giuseppe; Mattiazzo, Giuliana; Bracco, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2024.114302

Cited by 18 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Compared to floating HAWTs, VAWTs boast some interesting advantages [1]. By placing the rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) at the base of the VAWT, the system gains increased static stability, thanks to a lower moment of inertia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for the Mediterranean Sea

Ghigo,

Petracca,

Mangia

et al. 2024

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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Differently from Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs), which are the reference technologies in the wind market for their reliability and maturity, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) applications are related to small-scale contexts, such as providing electricity in isolated areas or urban settings. Consequently, the capacity of VAWTs results significantly lower than the order of megawatts and does not exceed a few tens of kilowatts. A promising field of application for VAWTs is the floating offshore: among the main advantages there are an increased static stability, by placing the rotor-nacelle assembly (RNA) at the base of the VAWT and reduced operational and maintenance (O&M) costs. Moreover, the different wake dynamics allows to reduce the aerodynamic losses, allowing closer turbine installations. However, to be competitive with floating HAWTs, it is necessary to have numerical models for the analysis and simulation of multi-megawatt VAWTs. This paper aims to introduce a time domain model of a floating vertical axis wind turbine, developed within the Matlab-Simscape environment. The model comprises an aerodynamics module, based on Double Multiple Stream Tube theory while hydrodynamics is modelled using WEC-Sim. A case study, involving a Darrieus H-rotor VAWT tested in the Mediterranean Sea and supported by a semi-sub foundation, the OC4-DeepCwind, is introduced. The results obtained are compared with those from QBlade, an software developed by TU Berlin, demonstrating a good agreement between the two codes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for the Mediterranean Sea

Ghigo,

Petracca,

Mangia

et al. 2024

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Among the main applications of VAWTs there are small-scale energy production: the sectors involved concern urban areas, for the installation of turbines on the roofs of buildings, and remote areas, not connected to the electricity grid, capable of satisfying small users, such as water pumping and desalination. However, over the last few years, a possible application concerns offshore wind generation [1]. Among the first to be studied in 2012, there is DeepWind technology: it is a 5MW 𝜙-Darrieus turbine supported by a spar-buoy foundation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of a numerical model for floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Ghigo,

Sirigu,

Collu

et al. 2024

J. Phys.: Conf. Ser.

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Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), which are primarily used in small-scale applications, such as in remote or urban areas, could be particularly promising for floating offshore wind projects, where they offer benefits like increased stability, lower maintenance costs, and the potential for closer spacing due to lesser aerodynamic wake effects. However, to be competitive with floating HAWTs, scaling up VAWTs size is an urgent necessity to facilitate large-scale industrialization. To achieve this goal, the development of tools capable of assessing VAWT performance in challenging offshore environments is crucial. This work aims to introduce a time domain model of a floating VAWT, developed within the Matlab-Simscape environment. The model comprises a floating platform, a wind turbine, and a mooring system. The aerodynamics is simulated using the Double Multiple Stream Tube method, which relies on Blade Element Momentum (BEM) theory. Hydrodynamics is modelled using WEC-Sim, a Simscape library developed by NREL and SANDIA. Among the main advantages of the model are the flexibility and low computational time. The article presents a case study involving a semi-sub foundation, the OC4-DeepCwind, supporting a Darrieus H-rotor VAWT. The results obtained are compared with those from QBlade Ocean, an open-source tool developed by TU Berlin, demonstrating a good agreement between the two codes.

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Nonlinear analysis of hydrodynamics of a shallow-draft floating wind turbine

Terrero-Gonzalez,

Dai,

Papadopoulos

et al. 2024

Nonlinear Dyn

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This study investigates numerically the dynamic responses of the T-Omega Wind novel concept of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine. The turbine is light-weight, has a shallow-draft and a relatively high centre of gravity that allows it to glide over harsh marine environments. The turbine responses are studied under regular wave excitation, considering most probable ranges of discrete sea wave heights and periods representative of real ocean conditions. A multibody virtual model is developed, simplified to a rigid 6 DOF system and experimentally validated in the state-of-art Marine Simulator to define the types of dynamical responses for both “Low” and “High” Sea States. The dynamics of coupled heave and pitch DOFs are evaluated with time histories, phase-plane portraits, Poincaré sections and FFT analyses to conclude that period-1 stable solutions exist for all studied cases of “Low Sea States”, whereas period-2, period-3 and period-4 periodic responses are identified for short wave periods of excitation under “High Sea States” conditions. Simulation results show that regions where period-1 responses exist are highly sensitive to wave height and can widen as the wave amplitude reduces. Finally, the turbines’ nonlinearities generated by the floats’ geometry are observed in this dynamical system, which are identified to be related to variation in float waterplane area and particularly observable for “High Sea States”.

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Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines for offshore applications among potentialities and challenges: A review

Cited by 18 publications

References 114 publications

Development of a floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for the Mediterranean Sea

Development of a floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for the Mediterranean Sea

Development of a numerical model for floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Nonlinear analysis of hydrodynamics of a shallow-draft floating wind turbine

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