Session: 41-04 Offshore wind

Submission Number: 178648

Mitigating Wake Losses in Floating Offshore Wind Farms via Yaw-Induced Platform Drift 

The mitigation of wake losses in offshore wind farms is a central challenge for maximizing energy yield, particularly in configurations where turbines are closely spaced. While conventional solutions rely on active yaw misalignment or complex control strategies embedded in the turbine design, alternative approaches exploiting the hydrodynamic mobility of floating platforms remain less explored. In this study, a novel concept is investigated whereby specific mooring arrangements are combined with yaw control to induce a controlled drifting of a floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) out of the wake of an upstream rotor. The methodology builds on the observation that the thrust generated by multi-megawatt rotors can be harnessed to displace the platform laterally, provided the mooring system allows for a constrained but sufficient offset. This passive drift mechanism enables the reduction of wake-rotor interaction without requiring modifications to either the wind turbine or the floating substructure, offering a cost-effective and retrofittable solution for existing platforms. Numerical experiments are conducted using the NREL OpenFAST framework, applied to the IEA 15 MW reference turbine mounted on a semisubmersible platform. Simulations assess different mooring layouts and yaw strategies, quantifying the achievable lateral displacement and its impact on downstream wake exposure. The results are analyzed in terms of platform motions, structural loads, and power recovery, demonstrating the feasibility of the concept while ensuring the stability and safety of the floating system.

Presenting Author: Alessio Castorrini Sapienza University of Rome

Presenting Author Biography: Associate Professor of Fluid Machinery at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Sapienza University of Rome. Expert researcher in finite element and FSI methods applied to the numerical simulation of fluid machinery for energy conversion systems.

Authors:

Sanshodhan Shende Sapienza University of Rome
Riccardo Fornarelli Sapienza University of Rome
Valerio Barnabei Sapienza University of Rome
Alessio Castorrini Sapienza University of Rome
Franco Rispoli Sapienza University of Rome