Yaw-Control Optimization for Floating Wind Farms Considering Platform Repositioning
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Wake losses constrain power capture in deep-offshore floating wind farms. Unlike fixed-bottom turbines, yaw control in floating turbines changes both wake propagation and aerodynamic thrust; the resulting platform repositioning further alters wake overlap. To investigate the coupled effects of yaw commands, platform displacement, wake distribution, and power output, this study proposes a repositioning-aware farm-level yaw optimization strategy. A steady-state analytical wake model, aerodynamic thrust calculation, and the quasi-static mooring solver MoorPy are coupled to establish a flow–displacement model, which is validated against OpenFAST simulations. The model is then embedded in a genetic algorithm to identify yaw-angle combinations that maximize farm power. An aligned floating wind farm equipped with NREL-5MW turbines is used to examine the effects of wind conditions, mooring-line length, and layout. The results reveal competing effects of yaw-induced wake deflection and platform repositioning. Under relatively slack mooring conditions, repositioning dominates changes in the farm’s wake distribution. The proposed strategy increases farm power across the tested wind conditions. The maximum gain of 17.25% is achieved at a wind direction of 270° and a mooring-line length factor α=0.9 (mooring-line length of 830.47 m), a mooring layout of (60°, 180°, 300°). Directly applying fixed-bottom yaw strategies may yield limited gains or even reduce power.
DOI: 10.3390/jmse14191831
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W7215785771