Toward Reliable FOWT Modeling: A New Calibration Approach for Extreme Environmental Loads

The current paper presents a comparative analysis between a high-fidelity simulation tool and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in evaluating the behavior of a fully coupled floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) system subjected to three distinct design load cases, with a particular emphasis on extreme weather scenarios. While both approaches yielded comparable results under standard operational conditions, noticeable discrepancies emerged in surge drift and mooring line tension during typhoon conditions. The present work highlighted a significant limitation of standard calibration methods based on free-deck motion that are not reflective of the unique features of extreme environmental responses. To address this limitation, a novel calibration methodology is suggested that uses drag coefficients derived from direct measurement of extreme load cases. The prediction accuracy of the high-fidelity simulation model was significantly improved by refining the transverse component of the drag coefficients of major structural components, decreasing prediction accuracy of surge and mooring tension responses from almost 30% error to about 5%. Further, despite increasing the fidelity of calibration under extreme environmental conditions, it is primarily contingent on high-fidelity measurements corresponding to the use of the most conventional calibration approach under normal environmental conditions. Ultimately, the results demonstrate the need for accurate calibration approaches to provide reliable performance predictions of FOWT systems under varying extreme environmental conditions.