This project proposes the study of a novel hinged-raft floating platform to harness wave energy and serve as foundation of multiple offshore wind turbines. The project will explore the concept through a potential flow model developed in commercial software Ashes, where the coupled wave and windloading on the platform will be investigated. Secondly, a novel OpenFOAM CFD model of the hinge-raft floating platform will be developed to explore extreme conditions, where wind turbines would be shut down, but wave energy extraction could still occur. The project is a joint proposal between Dr Abel Arredondo-Galeana and Dr Scott Brown from University of Strathclyde and University of Plymouth, respectively, and is supported by industrial project partner Simis SA.
