Experimental Analysis of Wakes in Floating Wind Turbines Under Dynamic Induction Control

Abstract This study investigates the aerodynamic loads and wake of a floating wind turbine under the combined influence of platform motion and dynamic blade pitch control. Specifically, it focuses on the dynamic induction control strategy employed to mitigate wake losses in wind farms. A series of wind tunnel experiments were conducted using a scale model of a 10 MW floating wind turbine replicating realistic operating conditions, including platform surge and pitch motions and dynamic blade pitching at varying frequencies and amplitudes. The results reveal that both platform motion and dynamic blade pitching independently induce oscillations in thrust force and periodic velocity fluctuations in the wake. When combined, they influence the thrust response depending on their phase relationship, while the wake behavior is dominated by dynamic blade pitching, which significantly amplifies turbulence intensity at the wake center and promotes enhanced wake mixing and recovery. These findings provide critical insights into optimizing floating wind farm control strategies, supporting their scalability and integration into future energy systems.