Experimental investigation of the effect of floating motion on the wake recovery of a floating wind turbine using particle tracking velocimetry

Abstract Floating offshore wind turbines experience platform motions that can modify wake development and, consequently, wind farm performance. In this study, the effects of imposed platform motion on wake recovery are investigated experimentally using hybrid wind tunnel tests combined with 3D-PTV technique. Measurements are performed under low-turbulence inflow conditions, enabling isolation of motion-induced effects on the turbine wake. The wake is characterised from the near- to the mid-wake region for static and moving platform configurations, considering surge and pitch motions over a range of reduced frequencies. The results show that platform motions can enhance wake recovery by accelerating the transition towards the far wake, with a dependence on motion frequency and type. Motions representative of floater rigid-body natural modes improve wake recovery, particularly for surge motion. In contrast, higher reduced-frequency motions, representative of wave-induced excitation, exhibit a much weaker influence on wake development, yielding wake characteristics close to the static configuration.