Dynamic Analysis of Shared Moorings for Deepwater Floating Offshore Wind Turbines

The increasing interest in harnessing wind energy from offshore sources has led to significant advancements in floating offshore wind turbine (FOWT) technology, particularly in deepwater environments where traditional bottom-fixed installations are impractical. As the industry pushes into deeper waters, the design and optimization of mooring systems become critical for ensuring the stability, safety, and economic feasibility of FOWTs. Deeper waters mean a larger share of the costs may be taken by moorings. An alternative to reduce these costs is using shared mooring systems. This study conducts the dynamic analysis of two innovative shared mooring configurations designed to support three turbines including two scenarios of with and without shared anchors. The simulations are performed using the software OrcaFlex applying operational sea conditions to evaluate their dynamic responses, including mooring line tension, platform excursions, and motion responses of the wind turbine platforms. The results show that both shared mooring configurations perform similarly in terms of dynamic responses. The shared mooring system without shared anchor has slightly higher tension peaks but still maintains safety and stability. Platform movements and rotations are comparable between the two setups, indicating that using shared mooring configuration without shared anchor reduces costs while ensuring acceptable hydrodynamic performance.