Work

Experimental Study on the Extreme Wave Run-Up Phenomenon of a Semi-Braceless Floating Wind Turbine Foundation Under Focusing Waves

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A series of physical model tests of a semi-braceless floating wind turbine foundation (FOWT) under freak waves was conducted in the present work. The extreme wave run-up phenomenon on the FOWT columns was reported and investigated. The back column exhibits a median wave run-up amplification factor of 1.65 (a 65% rise from the baseline condition), with the maximum recorded value hitting 3.18, marking a 218% amplification compared to the reference wave run-up. Four factors contribute to this phenomenon, including the wave-trapped mode between columns, the shoaling effect of the pontoons, the relative motion between the platform and the wave surface, and nonlinear wave run-up. The extreme wave run-up corresponds to violent wave dynamic pressures, showing nonlinear column pressure distributions. Steeper local freak waves can lead to higher wave dynamic pressures on the columns, and slamming pressures occur under breaking waves in some harsh wave conditions. The peak slamming pressure on the back column reaches 300% of that on other columns. The wave run-up and wave pressures on the columns are relevant to the structure’s load level, which is crucial to the safety of the engineering design.

Source: Oceans

DOI: 10.3390/oceans7040070

Authors: Yanjun Mao, Yu-Fei Wu, Xiaoxu Huang, Xiaozhou Ma, Guohai Dong

Institutions: Dalian University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Jinan University, Shenzhen University

Language: English

Topic: Wave and Wind Energy Systems

Subfield: Ocean Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,930

Funder: Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program