University of Central Florida (UCF)

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are currently designed to be large and heavy to replicate more familiar onshore wind turbine dynamics, maintain stability, and survive storms. However, this approach fundamentally limits how inexpensive FOWTs can ever become. Radically new designs that do not require a massive floating platform—applying the control co-design (CCD) approach of substituting mass by control systems—are needed. CCD methodologies integrate all relevant engineering disciplines at the start of the design process, with feedback control and dynamic interaction principles as the primary drivers of the design. To design innovative, economically competitive FOWTs, researchers must overcome several significant technical barriers: insufficient current knowledge of how FOWT subsystem dynamics interact; insufficient computer tools for dynamic simulation; and a dearth of experimental data. ATLANTIS will address these technical barriers while exploring radically new FOWT design concepts that minimize mass and maximize productive rotor area to provide economical offshore wind power.

The University of Central Florida will develop a comprehensive causality-free modeling and simulation platform that facilitates CCD, assists in incorporating multi-physics models, adapts to design changes, and allows rapid simulations to validate models and evaluate controllers for FOWTs. The team will study unique control concepts such as active tether actuation, gyroscopic balancing, hydraulic actuation, and individual pitch control. The research will reduce the time, cost and risks associated with experimentation, and open opportunities for better exploring the design space for higher efficiencies and optimality of floating offshore wind turbines. With a strong foundation of underlying physics, this approach will accelerate design iterations, leading to faster translation of product to market.