Transient response of a TLP-type floating offshore wind turbine under tendon failure conditions

Abstract Among various types of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs), the tension leg platform (TLP) floating wind turbines have relatively small motions due to stiff tendons. Similar to TLP applications in the offshore industry, tendon failure may lead to deteriorated stability and large transient responses, which should be considered as part of accidental limit state (ALS) checks at the design stage of the TLP FOWTs. This paper takes the WindStar TLP system as a representative and investigates the transient effects of one-tendon failure on the system responses. A coupled numerical model is first established using the aero-hydro-servo-elastic simulation tool FAST. Subsequent numerical s…