Numerical Study on Hydrodynamic Performances of Novel Dual-Layer Flower-Shaped Heave Plates of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

This paper proposes novel designs of dual-layer flower-shaped heave plates, featuring both aligned and staggered configurations with three, six, and nine petals. Numerical simulations were conducted to study the hydrodynamic effects of these various heave plate designs integrated with the OC4 DeepCwind semisubmersible floating offshore wind turbine platform under prescribed heave oscillations. The overset mesh technique was employed to treat the floating platform’s motions. Comprehensive assessments of vertical force, radiated wave patterns, vorticity fields, added mass, and damping coefficients were conducted. The results revealed that the novel flower-shaped staggered heave plates significantly outperformed conventional circular plates in terms of damping coefficients. Specifically, the damping coefficient of flower-shaped staggered heave plates was greater than that of circular heave plates, while the aligned configuration exhibited a lower damping coefficient. The damping coefficient increased with a reduction in the number of petals for the staggered heave plates. Among the evaluated designs, the dual-layer flower-shaped staggered heave plates with three petals demonstrated the highest effectiveness in attenuating heave motion of the floating platform. The utilization of novel dual-layer flower-shaped staggered heave plates is therefore a promising practice aimed at damping the heave motion of platforms in rough seas.