Numerical Investigation of the Hydrodynamic and Aerodynamic Responses of NREL 5 MW Monopile and Jacket Wind Turbines to the Draupner Wave

Offshore wind energy is an attractive renewable energy source due to its advantages. However, the chaotic marine environment makes the analysis of offshore wind energy extremely difficult. Furthermore, studying the behavior of wind turbines under rare and hazardous natural events such as rogue waves is crucial for the safety and operation of wind turbines and the platforms mounted on them. Therefore, this study numerically investigates the aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and structural properties of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW wind turbines under the effect of the Draupner wave, the first marine rogue wave ever recorded. To this end, the geometric and structural information of the NREL 5 MW wind turbines mounted on monopile and jacket platforms is explained. The characteristics of the Draupner wave and the variations in its wave height time series are investigated. The recorded wave height time series values are imported into the QBlade program, and the dynamics of NREL 5MW monopile and jacket wind turbines are simulated. Based on the simulation data, the aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and structural properties of these structures are examined and analyzed. The results demonstrate that Draupner waves have a significant effect on the aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and structural parameters of the wind turbines. These parameters are observed to reach their highest values, particularly between the 250th and 280th seconds, when the Draupner wave height reaches its peak. Our findings indicate that the jacket structure experienced higher total forces due to its larger wetted surface area and geometric complexity, while the monopile foundation showed higher inertial loading in the X-direction because of its larger added mass. Additionally, we observed that total aerodynamic power generation is significantly affected by the passage of the Draupner rogue wave. We discuss our findings and their limitations. This numerical study is intended to be a milestone for researchers working on the structural health of offshore wind turbines and platforms under the effect of rogue waves.