ABSTRACT This study examines how wave‐induced modulation affects the operational performance and structural dynamics of fixed‐bottom offshore wind turbines operating under a neutral atmospheric boundary layer profile. To capture these effects accurately while maintaining computational efficiency, unsteady RANS modelling techniques are employed. An actuator line method (ALM) is used to simulate the rotating blades, while a volume of fluid is used to generate the air–water interface and waves and to capture wake development. A 10‐MW wind turbine case study has been selected to study the impact of wave‐induced modulation on loads and wakes. Wake analysis reveals that wave modulation affects its development, resulting in a higher wake deficit and slower recovery. Specifically, four diameters downstream, the interaction leads to a 1.2% increase in wake deficit, with local increases up to 3.6% near the blade tips. These effects correspond to an average difference in wake deficit of 2.48% when wave modulation is taken into account and a consequent reduction in power of approximately 1%. In addition to wake effects, wave modulation leads to increased standard deviations across key aerodynamic variables, including blade loads and angle of attack, with the most pronounced changes occurring in the lower rotor area. The damage equivalent load (DEL) increases by 4% or up to 8% in the absence of the tower‐shadow effect. The ALM proves to be capable of capturing these interactions, suggesting its effectiveness in modelling realistic offshore conditions. These findings emphasise the importance of accounting for wave‐induced modulation in offshore wind turbine design and operation and suggest directions for future research, including wind‐wave misalignment and floating turbine configurations.
Campaña-Alonso et al. (Tue,) studied this question.