Nature-Inspired Innovative Platform Designs for Optimized Performance of Floating Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Floating vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) experience load transients during each rotation, even under stable wind conditions. These transients are further intensified by platform motion, affecting the stability of power output. In this study, a biomimetic floating platform inspired by the Victoria Amazonica (VA) is proposed to mitigate power output fluctuations by enhancing platform stability. The research focuses on an H-type floating VAWT mounted on the OC4 semi-submersible platform, using a dynamic fluid-body interaction (DFBI) approach coupled with volume of fluid (VOF) multiphase flow model to simulate aero-hydro dynamics. First, a parameterized model of VA leaf venation is developed using an Iterated Function System (IFS), combined with topology and size optimization to generate different VA configurations with varying branch levels (VAS, VAM, VAL). Subsequently, the hydrodynamic performance of the individual platform incorporating these VA configurations is evaluated. Results show that this nature-inspired design significantly reduces the platform's surge, heave, and pitch responses by enhancing the vortex capture capability of the lower pontoons, which dissipates kinetic energy and increases damping. The effectiveness of this novel design improves as the VA branch levels increase. Finally, the impact of the VAL on the aero-hydro coupling performance of the integrated floating VAWT system is further investigated. The VAL configuration effectively reduces the power coefficient fluctuation and decreases the standard deviation by approximately 10%, primarily by minimizing platform translation and rotation responses. This reduction lessens the interaction between the blades and the incoming flow, resulting in a more stable power output. These findings contribute to the optimization of floating VAWT designs, improve technology readiness levels (TRL), and strengthen confidence in the Floating VAWT concept for industrial-scale deployment in deep waters.