Research on hydrodynamic characteristics and structural safety evaluation of floating wind turbine based on Moray base

The active promotion of offshore wind energy is one of the key measures China can take to achieve its carbon-neutral goal and increase the use of clean energy. In this paper, a set of numerical pools using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) method is established for the unique configuration of the Moray base floating wind turbine. Based on the turbine's size and sea conditions, a semi-tensioned mooring system is designed. To establish the pool test program, a set of 1:68.5 similarity ratio turbine and mooring system models are constructed based on the test pool conditions, followed by attenuation tests and pool tests under typical regular waves. Furthermore, ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) is introduced as a new material; the finite element software ABAQUS is utilized to model the floating wind turbine structure, verify mesh convergence, and perform material principal modeling to obtain the physical and mechanical parameters of the reinforced concrete. Results show that increasing wave height enhances heave response and structural stress, while a larger period reduces the maximum slamming pressure. Flow-induced fluid accumulation significantly amplifies wave pressure and equivalent stress. Moreover, due to structural asymmetry, the 45° and 90° wave directions generate severe bending and torsional forces at connections, yielding much higher stress than the 0° direction.