Design Study of Multipoint Mooring System of the Floating Wave Energy Converter in Deep Water with a Sloping Bottom

摘要

Exploitation of floating wave energy converters (WEC) are boosted into deep water zones surrounding islands, and the encounters problems cannot be solved successfully in techniques by using conventional mooring systems. The difficulties and key factors on designs of mooring systems of the WECs in deep water sea area with large slope should be paid more attention. Meanwhile, the force of anchor lifting due to variation of bathymetry of islands surrounding seas cannot be ignored in deep water. In order to reduce the difficulties and costs of mooring system’s construction in deep water, the features of the landscape should be taken into account. According to these special needs, the selection of mooring system material, size and layout are analyzed. Three design schemes obtained by specific study object of floating "Sharp Eagle" WEC (Sheng, 2015) are put forward, which can effectively reduce the construction costs. Mixed catenary, synthetic cable taut and suspension type mooring system are proposed. Critical conditions include environmental conditions and directions in which the mooring system produces the maximum tension. For a complete condition, the mooring analyses are established in survival sea-state 50-years return. The dynamic analysis of the WEC and mooring system coupled motion in time-domain are implemented. The above experience will be significant for other mooring system of floating WEC design in deep water with a sloping bottom.