A review of numerical and experimental methods for floating vertical axis wind turbines: dynamics modelling, coupling strategies, and engineering applications

Accurate assessment of the strongly nonlinear behavior and multi-scale load interactions of floating vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) requires the development of robust aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, mooring, and structural dynamic models. This study reviews the theoretical foundations of existing dynamic models for floating VAWTs and classifies the corresponding multi-physics evaluation frameworks into decoupled and coupled analyses. The modeling accuracy and applicability of multi-fidelity numerical models for key mechanisms such as unsteady aerodynamics, platform motion, wake evolution, and structural nonlinearity are discussed. The dynamic solver configurations, coupling strategies, and existing dedicated simulation tools for floating VAWTs within the coupled analysis framework are summarized. The wind tunnel tests, scaled wave-basin experiments, and hybrid real-time simulations are compared in terms of system-level response reproduction and scale-effect correction, while their complementary advantages in numerical model calibration and mechanism verification are elucidated. Furthermore, this study establishes a full-lifecycle multi-fidelity assessment framework spanning preliminary design, detailed optimization, and safety verification. This framework provides methodological guidance for tool selection and validation-scheme design at different stages of research and development, thereby contributing to the further advancement of floating VAWT technology.