REFOS: A Renewable Energy Multi-Purpose Floating Offshore System
Dimitrios N. Konispoliatis,
Georgios M. Katsaounis,
Dimitrios I. Manolas,
Takvor H. Soukissian,
Stylianos Polyzos,
Thomas P. Mazarakos,
Spyros G. Voutsinas,
Spyridon A. Mavrakos
Affiliations
Dimitrios N. Konispoliatis
Laboratory for Floating Structures and Mooring Systems, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
Georgios M. Katsaounis
Laboratory for Ship and Marine Hydrodynamics, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
Dimitrios I. Manolas
Laboratory of Aerodynamics, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
Takvor H. Soukissian
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Institute of Oceanography, GR 190-13 Anavyssos, Greece
Stylianos Polyzos
Laboratory for Ship and Marine Hydrodynamics, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
Thomas P. Mazarakos
Department of Naval Architecture, University of West Attica, GR 122-43 Egaleo, Greece
Spyros G. Voutsinas
Laboratory of Aerodynamics, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
Spyridon A. Mavrakos
Laboratory for Floating Structures and Mooring Systems, School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Avenue, GR 157-73 Athens, Greece
The present paper deals with the development of a multi-purpose floating tension leg platform (TLP) concept suitable for the combined offshore wind and wave energy resources exploitation, taking into account the prevailing environmental conditions at selected locations along the European coastline. The examined Renewable Energy Multi-Purpose Floating Offshore System (REFOS) platform encompasses an array of hydrodynamically interacting oscillating water column (OWC) devices, moored through tensioned tethers as a TLP platform supporting a 10 MW wind turbine (WT). The system consists of a triangular platform supported by cylindrical floaters, with the WT mounted at the deck’s center and the cylindrical OWC devices at its corners. Details of the modelling of the system are discussed and hydro-aero-elastic coupling between the floater; the mooring system; and the WT is presented. The analysis incorporates the solutions of the diffraction; the motion- and the pressure-dependent radiation problems around the moored structure, along with the aerodynamics of the WT into an integrated design approach validated through extensive experimental hydrodynamic scaled-down model tests. The verified theoretical results attest to the importance of the WT loading and the OWC characteristics on the dynamics of the system.
