Abstract
The development of floating offshore wind turbines that combine aquaculture has potential economic benefits for both industries. In this study, the heave and pitch dynamic responses of a spar-type floating offshore wind turbine with aquaculture system are investigated by an experimental tank, as a feasibility study. A 1/56 model of a 2MW Spar floating wind turbine is used in the experiment. First, the Spar with an aquaculture feeding system is tested. The feeding system is built above the waterline, which can feed 300 tons of fish for one week. When attaching an additional structure such as a feeding system to the Spar, the structure’s center of gravity is raised, which might affect the stability of the floating structure. By the experiment, there is no noticeable increase in accelerations or motion displacements. Under a particular wave period, the motion of the Spar may be reduced. In addition, the dynamic responses of Spar are investigated when aquaculture cages are set near the Spar model. The target cage is silver salmon farming cage, and it has dimensions of around 25 m in diameter and 9 m in depth. Three model cages are set in front of the Spar facing the wave direction. When comparing the Spar-only testing results, the heave motion is increased but the pitch motion is reduced, because of the interference effects of the cages.
