Energies 2012, 5, 3874-3891; doi:10.

3390/en5103874
OPEN ACCESS

energies
ISSN 1996-1073
www.mdpi.com/journal/energies
Article

Preliminary Design of a Multi-Column TLP Foundation for a

5-MW Offshore Wind Turbine
Yongsheng Zhao *, Jianmin Yang and Yanping He

State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road,
Shanghai 200240, China; E-Mails: [email protected] (J.Y.); [email protected] (Y.H.)

* Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected];

Tel.: +86-21-34206514; Fax: +86-21-34206701.

Received: 12 August 2012; in revised form: 24 September 2012 / Accepted: 1 October 2012 /
Published: 15 October 2012

Abstract: Currently, floating wind turbines (FWTs) may be the more economical and
suitable systems with which to exploit offshore wind energy in deep waters. Among the
various types of floating foundations for offshore wind farms, a tension leg platform (TLP)
foundation can provide a relatively stable platform for currently available offshore wind
turbines without requiring major modifications. In this study, a new multi-column TLP
foundation (WindStar TLP) was developed for the NREL 5-MW offshore wind turbine
according to site-specific environmental conditions, which are the same as the
OC3-Hywind (NREL) conditions. The general arrangement, main structure and mooring
system were also designed and investigated through hydrodynamic and natural frequency
analyses. The complete system avoids resonance through the rotor excitations. An
aero-hydro-servo-elastic coupled analysis was carried out in the time domain with the
numerical tool FAST. Statistics of the key parameters were obtained and analysed and
comparisons to MIT/NREL TLP are made. As a result, the design requirements were
shown to be satisfied, and the proposed WindStar TLP was shown to have favourable
motion characteristics under extreme wind and wave conditions with a lighter and smaller
structure. The new concept holds great potential for further development.

Keywords: floating wind turbine (FWT); offshore wind; tension leg platform; preliminary
design; natural frequency analysis
Energies 2012, 5 3875

1. Introduction

In recent years, wind power has been the fastest-growing type of renewable energy worldwide, with
increasing efforts being concentrated on installing offshore wind turbines with a fixed bottom
foundation. However, the existing offshore fixed-bottom technology can only be deployed at a water
depth of 50 m or less [1]. As the technology moves into deeper waters, floating wind turbines (FWTs)
may be more economical and suitable for exploiting offshore wind energy in deep water. Currently,
there are a number of offshore wind turbine floating foundation concepts in various stages of
development. These concepts fall into four main categories: spars, tension leg platforms (TLPs),
semi-submersible platforms, and barges.
Henderson et al. [2] have discussed the advantages of utilizing floating support structures and
outlined the technical challenges for different types of FWTs. They also provided a detailed overview
of the potential new markets for the FWT technology. Wang et al. [3] presented a literature survey of
the research and development on FWTs. The authors described various existing conceptual designs and
summarized the design principles of these floater concepts. They also gave recommendations for future
work. Cordle [4] performed a concise review of current design standards or guidelines relevant to FWTs.
Recommendations for possible extensions to the IEC 61400-3 standard were proposed. Nielson et al. [5]
carried out integrated dynamic analysis for the Hywind (spar-type) concept. Various environmental
conditions and control algorithms were considered. The numerical simulation results were compared
with scale-model test results. They observed that the conventional blade pitch controller introduced
negative damping when wind velocities were above rated wind speed. The modified controller was
shown to be effective in avoiding negative damping for the Hywind concept. Roddier et al. [6]
presented a feasibility study conducted for the WindFloat (semi-submersible type) technology. The
authors indicated that the design of hull structures for a FWT must take into consideration the design
standards developed for oil and gas offshore platforms and offshore wind turbines.
Among the various types of floating foundations for offshore wind farms, TLPs are regarded as one
of the leading candidates [7]. Suzuki et al. [7] carried out an initial design of a TLP for a 2.4-MW wind
turbine. Numerical analyses under different environmental conditions were performed on the dynamic
responses of TLP, tendon tension deviations, natural frequencies and dynamic responses to seismic
forces. Ren et al. [8] studied the effect of additional mooring chains on the motion performance of a
TLP-type FWT. It was concluded that the combined mooring system could play an active role in
reducing the surge motion responses. Matha [9] verified the MIT/NREL TLP design concept via
comparisons with frequency-domain calculations. An extensive loads and stability analysis for
ultimate and fatigue loads was performed. The author pointed out that the model development and
analysis process developed in the study could serve as a blueprint for future analysis of new FWT
design concepts. In general, a TLP foundation is vertically constrained by tendons and thus has small
dynamic responses to environmental loads. This unique feature provides a relatively stable platform
for currently available offshore wind turbines, without requiring major modifications. The key
components of an offshore wind turbine mounted on a TLP foundation are described as follows and
shown in Figure 1.
Energies 2012, 5 3876

(1) Rotor-Nacelle-Assembly (RNA) system;

(2) Tower structure;
(3) Hull structure, consisting of columns, pontoons and column/pontoon nodes supporting the wind
turbine and tendons;
(4) Mooring system consisting of tendons and top/bottom connectors;
(5) Foundation system consisting of templates with bottom tendon connectors and (typically)
tension piles or gravity anchors.

Figure 1. Configuration of an offshore wind turbine with a mono-column TLP foundation.

Because the exploration of deep water wind energy is a relatively new field, the design of a TLP
foundation that is suitable for an offshore wind turbine presents several challenges. Generally, there
are three fundamental challenges: (1) the design of the multi-body system, including the TLP platform,
tower, and RNA, should avoid resonance with wind and waves, as well as any turbine-induced loads;
(2) the determination of the aero-hydro-servo-elastic loads and their coupled responses; and (3) the
design of the tendon system, which should have sufficient pre-tension to balance large overturning
moments and to prevent slack lines, while remaining soft or compliant in surge, sway, and yaw
conditions [10]. Other challenges include the lack of standards, rules, guidelines, experimental data,
and industrial experience specific to floating offshore wind turbines.
In this paper, we attempt to address these challenges and provide a technically feasible solution for
exploring deep water wind energy. There are three main parts in the current study. The first part
discusses the relevant design basis, including site-specific environmental conditions, design
requirements, and wind turbine properties. The second part provides a general description of our new
multi-column TLP design concept (WindStar TLP), including the general arrangement and
dimensions, main structure, and tension mooring system. The final part concentrates on hydrodynamic
properties, the natural frequency analysis and the full-coupled dynamic response simulations. The
effects of an elastic turbine system and TLP floater on the prediction of the natural frequencies of the
FWT are investigated. In addition, a comparative analysis is carried out of two TLP systems: WindStar
TLP and MIT/NREL TLP. In summary, the preliminary WindStar TLP design proposed here will
Energies 2012, 5 3877

contribute to the understanding of the important aspects of an initial design process, and the concept
holds potential for further development.

2. Design Basis

2.1. Design Requirements

To ensure the safety and competitiveness of the WindStar TLP, the following requirements are
considered [7,10]:
a. It must be able to support a 5-MW offshore wind turbine.
b. It must ensure that the high-energy excitation frequencies do not coincide with the natural
frequency of the entire system.
c. It must offer sufficient rigidity to the wind turbine to withstand dynamic loads during operation.
d. It must operate for a design life of at least 20 years and must survive the 50-year return wind and
wave loading.
e. Its inclination angle must not exceed 5° during either normal operation or extreme conditions.
f. The tendon tension must always be positive, and sufficient safety margins should always be
maintained for the tendon force. The safety factor should be no less than 3.0.
g. It must allow adequate access for maintenance.

2.2. Site Location and Environmental Conditions

Designing a suitable foundation for an offshore wind turbine is a highly site-specific process. This
study utilises the same location as the referenced studies [11,12], which were carried out at a site
located at 61°20' N latitude and 0°0' E longitude, near the Shetland Islands, northeast of Scotland (UK).

2.2.1. Water Depth

The water depth at the assumed installation site is 160 m below Mean Sea Level (MSL).

2.2.2. Water Levels

There is not a sufficient amount of water level data for the chosen site, so we adopted the IJmuiden
site values for this study [13]. The following extreme values from 22 years of measured data were used
(see Table 1).

Table 1. Measured water levels at the IJmuiden site.

Water levels Values
Highest still water level (HSWL) +2.4 m MSL
Mean sea level (MSL) 0m
Lowest still water level (LSWL) −2.1 m MSL
Energies 2012, 5 3878

2.2.3. Currents

The values of currents are taken from the Noordzeewind OWEZ project [13], which was located
relatively close to the selected location. For the normal current model (NCM, [14]) an average value of
0.6 m/s is used and for the extreme current model (ECM, [14]) a 1.2 m/s one, respectively, at the
surface level.

2.2.4. Wind and Wave Parameters

It was assumed that the wind and wave parameters are described by a 10-minute average wind
speed, V, at the hub height, significant wave height, HS, and peak spectral period, TP. The
joint-probability distribution is provided in terms of 37,992 samples, representing a total of
approximately 13 years of data. The cumulative distribution function of the mean wind speed at the
hub height is shown in Figure 2, and the joint probability distributions for HS and TP at a given mean
wind speed (Vhub = 11.4 m/s) are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 2. Cumulative distribution function of mean wind speed at the hub height.

1.0
Cumulative Distribution Function

0.8
VHub

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45

Hub-Height Wind Speed,m/s

Figure 3. 3D bar plot of HS vs. TP (Vhub = 11.4 m/s).

ction

0.14

0.12
Mass Fun

0.10

0.08
0.06
Probability

0.04
0.02
0.001
2
3 20
Si eig
gn

4 15
ific t,H
H

5 10
an s(m

l
6 tra
h

pec s)
tW )

5
7 S
ak p(
av

0
Pe od, T
e

eri
P
Energies 2012, 5 3879

Based on a three-hour reference period, the significant wave height with a return period of 1 year,
HS1, is 10.8 m (15.5 s < TP < 19.7 s), and the significant wave height with a return period of 50 years,
HS50, is 13.8 m (18.5 s < TP < 19.9 s). Based on a 10-minute averaging period, the reference wind speed
at the hub height with return periods of 1 year, V1, and 50 years, V50, was measured as 40 and 50 m/s,
respectively, as provided in Jonkman [11].

2.3. Wind Turbine RNA and Tower Specifications

The NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine model, which is representative of utility-scale
multi-megawatt turbines, was considered in this study. The model is a conventional three-bladed
upwind variable-speed, variable blade-pitch-to-feather-controlled turbine [15]. Figure 4 shows the
main dimensions (in millimetres) of the turbine RNA. The nacelle size was taken from the Repower
5-MW turbine. Table 2 summarises the main technical specifications of this turbine.

Figure 4. RNA of the NREL 5-MW baseline offshore wind turbine.

Table 2. Properties of the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine.

Items Units Specifications
Rotor, hub diameter m 126, 3
Cut-in, rated, cut-out wind speed m/s 3, 11.4, 25
Cut-in, rated rotor speed rpm 6.9, 12.1
Overhang, shaft tilt, precone m, deg, deg 5, 5, 2.5
Rotor mass kg 110,000
Nacelle mass kg 240,000
Nacelle size (length, width, height) m 19, 6, 7

The turbine tower is installed on the top of the centre column by welding. Its diameter was slightly
enlarged compared with the reference structure [13]. The revised tower section properties are
summarised in Table 3. The overall structural weight is approximately 230 t, with the gravity centre at
a height of 28.5 m from the tower base.
Energies 2012, 5 3880

Table 3. Turbine tower section properties.

Elevation (m) Outer Diameter (m) Thickness (m) Point Mass (kg)
21.3 (Tower base) 6.000 0.032 -
33.3 5.634 0.030 -
45.3 5.267 0.028 -
57.3 4.902 0.026 1400
69.3 4.537 0.024 -
81.3 4.171 0.022 -
86.9 (Yaw bearing) 4.000 0.030 1000

3. WindStar TLP Concept Description

3.1. General Arrangement and Main Dimensions

The WindStar TLP features one central column, with three radiating corner columns and pontoons.
As shown in Figure 5, the turbine also includes three tendon support structures (TSS), three equivalent
groups of tendons attached to the end of each external pontoon, and a gravity anchor (not shown) that
is mechanically connected to the bottom of each tendon through bottom connectors. The WindStar
TLP has the ability to be integrated at the fabrication yard and towed to the installation site with
specially designed temporary buoyancy modules (TBM).

Figure 5. Configuration of the WindStar TLP: (a) Normal Operation; (b) Wet tow.

(a) (b)

To transfer the large wind overturning moment more effectively, the turbine tower is directly
mounted on the centre column, which is essentially an extension of the tower and has the same
diameter as the tower base diameter. Therefore, the structural continuity is realised, and the stress
concentration can be minimised at this crucial area. Three corner columns provide external stability
during operation, wet tow transportation, installation, and tendon removal.
Two groups of horizontal pontoons are designed to connect the three corner columns with the centre
column. The upper and lower pontoons are designed as box-type structures, and the corner
Energies 2012, 5 3881

columns/pontoon node is strengthened. Three tendon support structures (TSS) are employed to support
the tendons and reduce the dynamic tendon tensions. The mooring system is composed of three
equivalent groups of tendons, which utilise three polyester ropes. A relatively large main deck platform
is positioned around the centre column on top of the upper pontoons. There is sufficient distance
between the main deck and the highest wave crest elevation to prevent potential wave impact damage.
Based on a thorough investigation of the corner column dimensions, the distance between the centre
column and corner columns, and the lower pontoon dimensions using the frequency domain method,
the general arrangement and main dimensions are as shown in Figure 6, and the principal parameters
are provided in Table 4.

Figure 6. General arrangement of the WindStar TLP system: (a) Front view; (b) Side
view; (c) Top view.

(a) (b) (c)

Table 4. Principal parameters of the WindStar TLP.

Items Parameters
Centre column diameter (m) 6.0
Corner column section dimension (m) 4.8 × 4.8
Distance between the centre column and corner column (m) 20.0
Moulded depth (m) 42.8
Design draft (m) 21.5
Air gap distance (m) 21.3
Platform mass (including outfitting) (t) 1770.0
Platform mass vertical centre (measured from keel) (m) 9.85
Pretension (t) 1950.0
Total Displacement (t) 4275.0
Energies 2012, 5 3882

3.2. Structural Design and Weight Estimate

The structural design of the WindStar TLP concept mainly consists of columns, pontoons, and
column/pontoon nodes. The TLP hull is a fully welded steel structure that consists of high-tensile steel
with a minimum yield stress of 355 MPa.
The preliminary structural layout is shown in Figure 7. The centre column has an inner shaft
structure. The inner shaft is a cylinder with no compartmentalisation from the top to the bottom of the
column. The annulus between the outer hull and inner shaft is vertically separated into three
compartments by two horizontal, watertight bulkheads. The lower annulus of each column serves as a
ballast tank. The inclined upper pontoon is designed to withstand wave loads.

Figure 7. Structural layout of the WindStar TLP.

The initial scantling of columns and pontoons is performed based on API Bulletin 2U (2004) [16] and
ABS MODU rules (2012) [17]. The outer shell of the centre column is stiffened with equally spaced
ring girders to provide sufficient stiffness against bulking failure. The flat structures, including corner
columns, column tops/bottoms, pontoon tops/bottoms and bulkheads, are sized according to the largest
design heads.
The scantling result shows that the present hull structural weight is approximately 1200 t, with a
vertical gravity centre height located 18 m above the keel. Some additional space is included to take
into account the weights of the deck equipment, landing platform, stairs, and piping system. A detailed
structural model of the WindStar TLP hull is shown in Figure 8.
Energies 2012, 5 3883

Figure 8. FE model of the WindStar TLP hull, showing both the outer shell and
inner structure.

3.3. Mooring System Properties

The mooring system consists of three equivalent groups of tendons, and each tendon pretension is
set to be 650 t. Three polyester ropes are adopted for each tendon due to the low axial stiffness and
relatively high minimum breaking load of the tendons. This characteristic is helpful to prevent the
supporting platform’s natural frequencies from coinciding with the third rotor harmonics. The principal
properties of the tendon ropes are shown in Table 5.

Table 5. Principal properties of the tendon ropes [18].

Diameter Min. breaking Axial stiffness Weight in air Weight in
(mm) load (t) EA (MN) @10%–30% MBL (kg/m) water (kg/m)
239.0 1967.0 372.0 36.1 9.29

For small displacements (small angle assumption), the restoring coefficients of the selected mooring
system are determined by the following Equations [19]:
Ftether
C11  C12  (1)
Ltether
3Etether Atether
C33  (2)
Ltether

C44  C55 
3Etether Atether
L fairlead 2 (3)
2 Ltether

C66 
Ftether
L fairlead 2 (4)
Ltether

where:
F tether = total pretension at the fairlead of the mooring system, 1950 t;
L tether = total length of the tether, 134 m;
Energies 2012, 5 3884

E tether A tether = axial stiffness of the tether, 1116 MN;

L fairlead = distance from the fairlead to the platform centre, 39 m.
By applying the aforementioned equations and given parameters, the restoring coefficients of the
mooring system are obtained, as shown in Table 6. The restoring coefficients of the mooring system,
together with hydrostatics, are useful for predicting the natural periods of the system.

Table 6. Restoring coefficients of the mooring system.

Surge (Sway) Heave Roll (Pitch) Yaw
restoring coefficient restoring coefficient restoring coefficient restoring coefficient
C11 (kN/m) C33 (kN/m) C44 (kN.m/rad) C66 (kN.m/rad)
145.6 2.5 × 104 1.9 × 107 2.67 × 105

4. Hydrodynamic Characteristics

To calculate the hydrodynamic characteristics of the WindStar TLP, the SESAM/Wadam software
program was applied in this study [20]. The software uses the three-dimensional boundary integral
equation method to solve the linearized hydrodynamic radiation and diffraction problems for the
interaction of free surface waves with zero-forward-speed floating structures in the frequency domain.
According to the geometric symmetry of the supporting platform, four different wave directions, 0°,
15°, 30°, and 45°, were selected to perform the hydrodynamic analysis. The panelised view of the
WindStar TLP wetted hull and the definition of the coordinate system are shown in Figure 9. The
added mass properties in the surge, sway, and heave directions are shown in Figure 10. With three
large pontoons, the heave added mass has an average value of 3.53 × 106 kg and varies less with
frequency. However, the added mass in surge and sway tend to decrease with increasing frequency.
The computed added-mass and damping coefficients, as well as the wave excitation forces, are used as
inputs to the fully coupled time-domain simulation program FAST [21]. Figure 11 presents heave and
pitch RAOs for WindStar TLP calculated both in frequency domain (Wadam) and in time domain
(FAST with elastic and rigid turbine). The RAOs obtained in FAST with rigid turbine are in good
arrangement with Wadam RAOs. This model consistency ensures the accuracy of the following load
analysis in FAST. As depicted in the figure, the turbine elasticity has minor effect on the heave
resonant response.

Figure 9. Hydrodynamic model of the WindStar TLP wetted hull.

Energies 2012, 5 3885

Figure 10. Hydrodynamic added mass of the WindStar TLP in the translational modes.

6
4.0x10 Surge added mass
Sway added mass
6
3.8x10 Heave added mass

Added Mass (kg)

3.6x10

6
3.4x10

6
3.2x10

6
3.0x10

6
2.8x10

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
Angular Frequency (rad/s)

Figure 11. WindStar TLP RAOs: (a) Heave response; (b) Pitch response.
0.030
RAO Heave FAST Rigid Turbine 0.7 RAO Pitch FAST Rigid Turbine
RAO Heave SESAM/Wadam RAO Pitch SESAM/Wadam
0.025 RAO Heave FAST RAO Pitch FAST
0.6
Pitch resonant response shift
Pitch RAO (m/m)

0.020 0.5
Heave RAO (m/m)

Heave resonant response

0.4
0.015

0.3
0.010
0.2

0.005
0.1

0.000 0.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
Angular Frequency (rad/s) Angular Frequency (rad/s)

(a) (b)

However, with flexible turbine, the pitch natural frequency is shifted from 1.84 rad/s to 1.65 rad/s.
The shift pitch natural frequency primarily due to the turbine elasticity consists of the positive platform
pitch with positive 1st tower fore-aft deflection mode and vice versa [22]. This result is further compared
with a fully-flexible model including platform elasticity by FE methods in the following section.

5. Natural Frequency Analysis

The natural frequencies of the entire system are crucial to the performance of the system because
they determine the dynamic behaviour of the floating offshore wind turbine, particularly for turbines
with TLP-type foundations. The full system should avoid resonance with both the environmental and
turbine-induced excitations. For the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine, the cut-in and rated
rotational speeds of the rotor are 6.9 and 12.1 rpm, respectively. Therefore, the first rotor frequency
(1-P) ranges from 0.115 to 0.202 Hz, and the corresponding blade-passing frequency ranges from
0.345 to 0.606 Hz [13]. The natural frequencies of the Windstar TLP in heave, pitch and roll are
chosen to be between the 1-P and 3-P rotation frequency intervals, and the natural frequencies for the
tower’s first bending mode are chosen to be above the 3-P rotation frequency due to its high coupling
Energies 2012, 5 3886

with the platform pitch mode. With the MSC/NASTRAN program [23], the complete WindStar TLP
structural model is used to perform eigenanalysis, in which the rotor mass and hydrodynamic added
mass are modelled as lump masses with rotational inertia. From this analysis, important natural
frequencies are obtained. The relevant results are shown in Table 7, and the Campbell diagram for the
WindStar TLP is plotted in Figure 12. Compared to natural frequencies obtained in the previous
section, the heave natural frequency moves from 0.334 Hz to 0.303 Hz, the pitch natural frequency
shifts from 0.263 Hz to 0.248 Hz. The shifted natural frequency in heave mode is mainly because of
the up-down deflection mode of TSS. However, the downshifting natural frequency in pitch mode is
largely due to the fore-aft deflection mode of the overall platform. This reveals that the importance of
the platform elasticity on predicting the complete system natural frequencies, especially for the
TLP-type floating wind turbines. There is more than an approximately 10% safety margin from the
rotor excitation frequency boundaries. Figure 13 shows the FE results of the natural frequencies in the
pitch mode, 1st tower fore-aft mode, and 2nd tower fore-aft mode.

Table 7. Natural frequencies of the WindStar TLP.

Mode Natural Frequency (Hz)
Platform Surge/Sway 0.024
Platform Yaw 0.049
Platform Heave 0.303
Platform Pitch 0.248
Platform Roll 0.247
1st Tower Side-Side 0.664
1st Tower Fore-Aft 0.673
2nd Tower Side-Side 1.886
2nd Tower Fore-Aft 2.079

Figure 12. Campbell diagram of the WindStar TLP.

Energies 2012, 5 3887

Figure 13. Mode shapes and natural frequencies of the WindStar TLP system: (a) Heave
mode; (b) Pitch mode; (c) 1st Tower Fore-Aft mode; (d) 2nd Tower Fore-Aft mode.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)

6. Dynamic Response Simulations

The IEC 61400-3 design standard [14] was chosen as the load analysis guideline in this study. This
standard is largely limited to offshore, fixed-bottom support structures. For the preliminary load
analysis, only a few DLCs (Table 8) were selected. DLC 1.3 considers power production under normal
operation over a range of wind speeds and wave conditions. DLC 6.1a and 6.3a consider parked
(idling) conditions under extreme 1- and 50-year return periods. For DLC 1.3, the wind speed range is
indicated from cut-in to cut-out, and the width of the bins is chosen to be 1.4 m/s for the discrete
values of Vhub centred (i.e., discrete values of 4.2, 5.6, …, 23.8 m/s). For each wind speed, the expected
value of the significant wave height is then chosen, HS = E[HS|Vhub]. The peak spectral period, TP, is
then selected by the same method used to determine the expected value at the given wind speed and
the significant wave height, TP = E[TP|HS,Vhub]. Winds and waves are considered collinear.
Energies 2012, 5 3888

Table 8. Summary of the selected design load cases.

Winds Waves Currents Events
DLC
Model Speed Model Height Model
1.3 ETM Vin < Vhub < Vout NSS HS = E[HS|Vhub] NCM Normal operation
6.1a EWM Vhub = 0.95 × V50 ESS HS = 1.09 × HS50 ECM Yaw = 0°
6.3a EWM Vhub = 0.95 × V1 ESS HS = 1.09 × HS1 ECM Yaw = 0°

For DLC 1.3, each discrete wind speed event simulation is 10 minlong. The other simulations for
DLC 6.1a and 6.3a last one hour. Turbulent-wind inflow is provided by the computer program
Turbsim [24], followed by a turbine response simulation using FAST [21]. To ensure an apples to
apples comparison, the MIT/NREL TLP concept is selected and compared with the WindStar TLP for
all the selected load cases. Both TLP systems use the same wind turbine specifications, metocean
parameters, and control systems. The latter is also the same as in the land-based system [11]. The
MIT/NREL TLP is a mono-column TLP supporting the NREL-5MW wind turbine. The TLP hull has a
diameter of 18 m and is ballasted with concrete to provide stability during wet tow operations. Its
mooring system consists of a total of eight tendons supported at the end of the TSS (two at each end)
with a fairlead radius of 27 m. The hull displacement is 12,485 t and the total pretension is 3206 t. The
hub height was revised to be the same as the WindStar TLP (89.3 m). Design specification details are
available in Matha [9]. Time series data and global response statistics, including platform surge and
pitch, tendon tension, and tower top acceleration, are investigated. In Figure 14, the global responses
under the power production conditions (DLC 1.3) are further compared with those under parked
conditions (DLC 6.1a and 6.3a). Both designs show the same trend with wind speeds. All of the
maximum and minimum responses of the selected parameters are found to be dominated by DLC 6.1a,
whereas a larger surge response is generated for the rated wind speed compared with the cut-out wind
speed in the power production condition (DLC 1.3a) because of the function of control. In general, the
WindStar TLP system has larger dynamic responses than the MIT/NREL TLP system, as shown in
Figure 14a–c. This is mainly because the MIT/NREL TLP concept has larger restoring coefficients and
initial pretension, as well as mass properties, thus introducing more resistance to platform movement,
as distinguished in Figure 14d. The peak responses of the platform pitch and tower top acceleration
follow the same trend of increasing with increased wind speeds. Figure 14e clearly illustrates the wind
and wave effects on tower top acceleration, and it can be concluded that the response is dominated by
the wave loads. The tendon tension ratio of the two systems (tension leg 1) is compared in Figure 14f.
The tension ratio is defined as:
Trmax( mean , min)  Tmax( mean , min) Tpre  1 (5)

where Trmax(mean, min), Tmax(mean, min) and Tpre are the maximum (mean, minimum) tension ratio, maximum
(mean, minimum) tendon tension and initial pretension, respectively. Compared to the MIT/NREL
TLP, the WindStar TLP has a smaller tendon tension ratio in all wind speeds. This indicates that the
mooring system of the MIT/NREL TLP is more susceptible to fatigue than that of the WindStar TLP.
Under the extreme conditions (DLC 6.1a), the maximum pitch angle of the WindStar TLP is
approximately 0.66 deg, which is less than the limiting angle of 5 deg; the maximum tendon tension
value (rope 1) is approximately 347.6 t, including the initial pretension. This value gives a safety factor
Energies 2012, 5 3889

of 5.7, which is more than the required value of 3.0. The tendon tension remains positive under the
conditions considered. Thus, all of the selected parameters of the WindStar TLP conformed to the
design requirements.

Figure 14. (a) Platform surge vs. wind speed; (b) Platform pitch vs. wind speed;
(c) Comparisons of two TLP systems; (d) Tower top acceleration vs. wind speed; (e) Wind
and wave effect on tower top acceleration; (f) Tendon ratio vs. wind speed.
1.2
20.0 WindStar TLP Maximum WindStar TLP Maximum
MIT/NREL TLP Maximum 1.0 NREL/MIT TLP Maximum
WindStar TLP Minimum WindStar TLP Minimum
15.0 MIT/NREL TLP Minimum NREL/MIT TLP Minimum
WindStar TLP Average 0.8 WindStar TLP Average
MIT/NREL TLP Average NREL/MIT TLP Average

Platform Pitch (deg)

0.6
Platform Surge (m)

10.0 WindStar TLP Std. Dev. WindStar TLP Std.

MIT/NREL TLP Std. Dev. NREL/MIT TLP Std.
0.4
5.0
0.2
0.0
0.0
-5.0
-0.2
-10.0 -0.4

-15.0 -0.6

-0.8
V_in V_rated V_out V_1year V_50year V_in V_rated V_out V_1year V_50year

(a) (b)
3.0
WindStar TLP Maximum
3.0 NREL/MIT TLP Maximum MIT/NREL TLP
WindStar TLP Minimum
2.5
WindStar TLP
NREL/MIT TLP Minimum
Tower Top Acceleration (m/s )
2

WindStar TLP Average

2.0 NREL/MIT TLP Average
WindStar TLP Std. Dev. 2.0
Ratio Value

NREL/MIT TLP Std. Dev.

1.0
1.5
0.0
1.0
-1.0
0.5
-2.0
0.0
Maximum Surge Maximum Pitch Tower Initial Platform
-3.0 Surge Restoring Pitch Restoring Top Pretension Displacement
V_in V_rated V_out V_1year V_50year Displacement Coefficient Angle Coefficient Acceleration

(c) (d)
3.0 2.25
WindStar TLP Maximum
Wind only NREL/MIT TLP Maximum
Wave only 2.00 WindStar TLP Minimum
Tension Ratio (Tension Leg 1)

2.5
Tower Top Acceleration (m/s )

NREL/MIT TLP Minimum

Wind and wave
2

1.75 WindStar TLP Average

NREL/MIT TLP Average
WindStar TLP Std. Dev.
2.0 1.50 NREL/MIT TLP Std. Dev.

1.25
1.5
1.00

1.0 0.75

0.50
0.5
0.25

0.0 0.00
V_in V_rated V_out V_1year V_50year V_in V_rated V_out V_1year V_50year

(e) (f)
Energies 2012, 5 3890

7. Conclusions

In this study the WindStar TLP was proposed for the NREL offshore 5-MW baseline wind turbine.
The general arrangement, main structure and mooring system were designed based on the assumed
design framework. Polyester ropes were adopted for the tension mooring system. The proposed
WindStar TLP has been investigated using hydrodynamic analysis, natural frequency analysis with a
detailed FE model and fully coupled dynamic analysis. As a result, the complete system is free from
resonance with the rotor excitations. The elasticity of the turbine system and TLP foundation has a
significant influence on predicting natural frequencies of the FWT. The statistical results from the
dynamic response time series show that the design requirements are satisfied. Comparisons between
the WindStar TLP and MIT/NREL TLP have been carried out. With a lighter and smaller structure,
WindStar TLP showed satisfactory performance, thus the proposed concept can be identified as having
significant potential for further development. Further work will be carried out to optimise the structural
dimensions. Additional load cases will be analysed according to IEC-61400-3 requirements, a scaled
model test will be performed in a wave tank, and the structural integrity of the WindStar TLP
foundation will be assessed.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the help of Jason Jonkman at the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (Golden, CO, USA) for providing the reference site data.

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