The role of motion-excited coherent structures in improved wake recovery of a floating wind turbine

Abstract

This study experimentally investigates wake recovery mechanisms behind a floating wind turbine subjected to imposed fore-aft (surge) and side-to-side (sway) motions. Wind tunnel experiments with varying free-stream turbulence intensities (TI∞ ∈ [1.1, 5.8] %) are presented. Rotor motion induces large-scale coherent structures – pulsating for surge and meandering for sway – whose development critically depends on the energy ratio between the incoming turbulence and the platform motion. The results provide direct evidence supporting the role of these structures in enhancing wake recovery, as previously speculated by Messmer, Peinke & Hölling (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 984, 2024, A66). These periodic structures significantly increase Reynolds shear stress gradients, particularly in the streamwise–lateral direction, which are key drivers of wake recovery. However, their influence diminishes with increasing TI∞: higher background turbulence weakens the coherent flow patterns, reducing their contribution to recovery. Beyond a threshold turbulence level – determined by the energy, frequency and direction of motion – rotor-induced structures no longer contribute meaningfully to recovery, which becomes primarily driven by the free-stream turbulence. Finally, we show that the meandering structures generated by sway motion are more resilient in turbulent backgrounds than the pulsating modes from surge, making sway more effective for promoting enhanced wake recovery.