ASSESSMENT OF INTACT STABILITY CRITERIA AND SURVIVABILITY FOR SEMI-SUBMERSIBLE FOWT
Part Of
Proceedings of the International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering - OMAE
Journal Volume
3
Start Page
v003t06a049
ISBN (of the container)
9780791888926
ISBN
9780791888926
Date Issued
2025
Author(s)
Abstract
This study evaluates the survivability assessment methodologies for semi-submersible Floating Offshore Wind Turbines (FOWTs) against capsizing and sinking risks. Current industry standards employ conservative stability criteria derived from offshore and marine practices, potentially leading to over-designed structures despite FOWTs’ lower risk profile as unmanned facilities. Through a case study of a three-column semi-submersible FOWT stationed with 9 mooring lines, this research compares two stability assessment approaches: the traditional area-ratio-based method and the dynamic-response-based criterion. Results from comprehensive stability analyses show that while the semi-submersible marginally satisfies the area-ratio-based survivability requirement with a ratio of 1.31 (versus required 1.30), it demonstrates substantially higher resistance to capsizing and sinking under dynamic-response-based assessment, achieving a ratio of 2.99 (versus required 0.10). These findings indicate that current survivability assessment by area-ratio method may be overly conservative in evaluating FOWTs’ resistance to capsizing and sinking. The adoption of dynamic-response-based survivability assessment methodologies could enable more accurate evaluation of semisubmersible FOWTs’ resistance to capsizing and sinking, potentially leading to optimized designs that maintain adequate survivability while reducing structural costs—a critical factor in enhancing the economic viability of floating offshore wind energy development.
Event(s)
ASME 2025 44th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, OMAE 2025, Vancouver, 22 June 2025 - 27 June 2025
Subjects
FOWT
Intact Stability
Offshore Platform
Righting Moment
Semisubmersible
Survivability
SDGs
Publisher
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Type
conference paper