Transient response of a TLP-type floating offshore wind turbine under tendon failure conditions

Among various types of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs), the tension leg platform (TLP) floating wind turbines have relatively small motions due to stiff tendons. Similar to TLP applications in the offshore industry, tendon failure may lead to deteriorated stability and large transient responses, which should be considered as part of accidental limit state (ALS) checks at the design stage of the TLP FOWTs. This paper takes the WindStar TLP system as a representative and investigates the transient effects of one-tendon failure on the system responses. A coupled numerical model is first established using the aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tool FAST. Subsequent numerical simulations of tendon failure are carried out to consider different tendon breakage and turbine shutdown scenarios in both operational and parked conditions. Response statistics of key design parameters including platform motion, nacelle acceleration, and tendon tension are analyzed. The results indicate that several transient responses of the FOWT under operational conditions may be even higher than the extreme values under 50-year conditions. Our analyses also reveal that the shutdown strategies, if not applied appropriately, may have limited effects in reducing the responses of the FOWT, thus in certain scenarios threaten the safety of the tendon closest to the broken tendon if no other actions are taken. For the considered TLP FOWT, the ALS design requirements dominate over the ultimate limit state requirements. These findings can be relevant to the ALS design of TLP FOWTs.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the transient effects of one-tendon failure on the system responses of tension leg platform (TLP) floating wind turbines using the WindStar TLP system as a representative example. The results show that under operational conditions, several transient responses of the FOWT may exceed extreme values, and inappropriate shutdown strategies could threaten the safety of the closest tendon to the broken one. These findings have implications for the ALS design of TLP FOWTs.