Dynamic response and power performance of a combined semi-submersible floating wind turbine and point absorber wave energy converter array

With the global demand for renewable energy rising, offshore renewable energy development has gained more attention. The combination of wind and wave energy is a new trend. Ensuring stability in combined systems is crucial for efficiency of absorbing energy. A novel combined wind and wave energy system with a semisubmersible floating wind turbine (FWT) and an array of six torus-shaped point absorber wave energy converters (WECs) is proposed. The dynamic response of combined system is investigated using 3D potential flow theory by comparing to the original system. The effects of power take-off (PTO) damping, WEC float shape and seasonal variation on the dynamic response and power performance of combined system are studied. The results show that the addition of WEC array improves the stability and power production of combined system. Meanwhile, the total power of combined system is approximately 2.5%-6.5 % higher than that of original system. PTO damping mainly affects the heave motion of combined system. As PTO damping increases, the first peak of mean power of WEC array shifts towards the long period, while the second peak of that shifts towards the short period. The conical-bottom WEC generates the most power compared to the flat-bottom WEC, hemispherical-bottom WEC and concave-bottom WEC. The combined system generates the most power in winter, and the total annual electricity output can be up to 2.99 x 104 MWh.