Experimental parametric study of extended horizontal slab effects on pitch motion for a cruciform floating wind barge
Published: 2025
Publication Name: Ocean Engineering
Publication URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2025.124034
Abstract:
Floating offshore wind is a promising technology for diversifying energy portfolios and enhancing coastal grid resilience. Recent commercial interest has driven efforts to optimize system performance and reduce costs, including innovations in barge-style platforms. This work investigates the influence of extended horizontal slabs on the dynamic responses of a 15 MW cruciform-style barge through a parametric study using 1:70 Froude-scaled physical models. Three configurations were tested: a baseline without slabs and two variants with scaled 2m and 4m wide slabs. Experimental campaigns included free decay tests, pink noise excitation, and scaled Gulf of Maine design load cases (DLCs 1.6 and 6.1). Results show that increasing slab width elongates the natural periods in surge, heave, and pitch, and improves damping, particularly in pitch. In extreme sea states, larger slabs significantly reduce pitch and fore-aft nacelle accelerations, with modest improvements in heave. These findings demonstrate that extended horizontal slabs are an effective and practical means of mitigating pitch-driven loads in barge-type floating wind platforms.