A Review of Research Status and Scientific Problems of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

Abstract

With the continuous utilization of offshore wind resources, the installation depth and capacity of offshore wind turbines are increasing. In order to meet construction requirements of renewable energy, offshore wind farms are bound to develop further and deeper into the sea. As a result, a novel kind of power generation equipment, Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWT), emerges as the times require. Consequently, this paper provides an objec-tive comment on some key scientific difficulties. Firstly, The statistics and forecast of the market demand and installed capacity of offshore wind energy show a steady growth. After that, the advantages of constructing FOWT and most floating projects in various countries are summarized. And then, the reconstruction design of blades is reviewed under “Reynolds number” and “Froude number” similarity criterion, which is a prerequisite for achiev-ing specific aerodynamic performance. So far, this paper focuses on aerodynamic researches, including aerodynamic forces and flow fields. On this basis, pitch angle control strategies are proposed to reduce aerodynamic forces on the premise of ensuring power generations. Finally, some other joint science problems to be solved are listed. Whether theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, ocean engineering basin tests, wind tunnel experiments or prototype sea measurements, FOWT is expected to break through various obstacles and finally achieve efficient and stable commercial operations.