Aerodynamic Thrust Modelling in Wave Tank Tests of Offshore Floating Wind Turbines Using a Ducted Fan

Abstract

Wave tank testing of scaled models is standard practice during the development of floating wind turbine platforms for the validation of the dynamics of conceptual designs. Reliable recreation of the dynamics of a full scale floating wind turbine by a scaled model in a basin requires the precise scaling of the masses and inertias and also the relevant forces and its frequencies acting on the system. The scaling of floating wind turbines based on the Froude number is customary for basin experiments. This method preserves the hydrodynamic similitude, but the resulting Reynolds number is much lower than in full scale. The aerodynamic loads on the rotor are therefore out of scale. Several approaches have been taken to deal with this issue, like using a tuned drag disk or redesigning the scaled rotor.