Floating offshore wind research

The EPSRC-funded UK Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Test facility within the COAST lab’s Ocean Basin is a first-of-its-kind facility within the UK

The Physical modelling of floating offshore wind turbines is challenging due to the complexities associated with the simultaneous application of two different scaling laws, governing the hydrodynamic and aerodynamic loading on the structure. 
Within the Coastal, Ocean and Sediment Transport (COAST) laboratory we offer two different approaches for modelling wind loading to overcome these challenges. These approaches have built on our experience of testing floating offshore platforms since 2018 for both the commercial and research sector.
 

UKFOWTT Wind Generator

COAST lab is equipped with a 3.0 m x 2.8 m wind generator suspended over the Ocean Basin. This wind generator is composed of a bank of 9 fans designed to produce wind speeds between 0.5 m/s to 10 m/s. Flow conditioning provides a 5% longitudinal target turbulence intensity, a swirl-free flow and a 5% or less flow homogeneity. Individual fan control enables variation in wind profiles. The generator can be rotated up to 25 degree relative to primary wave generation direction and can be positioned within the basin to fit different experimental set-ups. 
Testing of floating offshore wind platforms with blown wind requires the use of turbine modules with blade shapes designed to help overcome the issues of scaling aerodynamic loads while correctly scaling hydrodynamic loads from waves and currents. 
COAST lab wind generator (UKFOWTT)
 

Real-Time Hybrid Testing 

In this approach aerodynamic loading is applied to the platform using a set of drone propellers installed at the location of the wind turbine. 
A numerical model is run in real time to calculate the applied loads by calculating the forces the wind turbine should be applying to the platform in response to a simulated wind field and measured platform motions.