Weathervane Performance and Stability of Single Point Moored FOWTs Under Wind-Current Coexisting Field

The objective of this study is to understand the weathervane performance and stability of FOWTs moored to SPM systems under wind and current coexisting field. Two types of FOWT systems, a semi-submersible and a spar (1/200 scale) are designed and manufactured based on Froude’s scaling law. A series of scaled model experiments are conducted and compared during wind-current coexisting field in a circulating water tank at Osaka Prefecture University, Osaka, Japan. Weathervane performance is evaluated under various conditions of wind and current. It is found during experiments that the weathervane performance of the SPM-FOWT systems is acceptable in rated wind and slow current condition. However, in the rated wind and high speed current condition, the weathervane performance is found to be not acceptable and unstable oscillation is observed. A numerical program is also developed to understand the behavior using the maneuvering equations. Further, attempts are made to understand the stability of SPM-FOWT systems based on Eigenvalue analysis.