Exploring Motion Stability of a Novel Semi-Submersible Platform for Offshore Wind Turbines

The stability of offshore floating wind turbine foundation platforms is a fundamental requirement for the efficiency and safety of wind power generation systems. This paper proposes a novel small-diameter float-type semi-submersible platform to improve system stability. To evaluate the superior motion stability of the proposed floating platform, a comprehensive frequency–domain response analysis and experimental study were conducted in comparison with the OC4-DeepCwind platform developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The respective comparison of the frequency–domain response analysis and the experimental results demonstrated that the proposed floating wind turbine platform shows better hydrodynamic characteristics and resonance avoidance capability. This not only reduces the Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs), but also enhances the system stability, namely, effectively avoiding the regions of concentrated wave loading and low-frequency ranges. Furthermore, the proposed small-diameter semi-submersible platform has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs, providing valuable insights for the manufacturing of offshore floating wind turbine systems.