Accounting for Hydroelasticity in the Analysis of Offshore Wind Turbine Spar-Type Platforms

In this paper, linear frequency-domain hydroelastic analysis is performed to investigate the behavior of the spar-type supporting platform of a floating offshore wind turbine, considering the platform’s flexibility. A “dry” mode superposition approach is used, wherein the flexible mode shapes are determined through the application of a finite element method (FEM)-based structural model. The diffraction/radiation problem is solved by using the boundary integral equation method. Focus is given to the flexible modes’ generalized hydrodynamic forcing and responses, the spar’s hydroelastic response, and the coupling effects between the flexible and the rigid-body modes. For irregular waves, the effect of the peak period on the response spectra and the hydroelastic response is analyzed.