EOLINK have developed an innovative floating wind turbine in which the single tower is replaced by a set of legs providing a pyramidal architecture. A 1/10 th scale prototype of EOLINK’s 12MW concept has been connected to the grid in April 2018 in France. Firstly, the paper describes the technical specifications of this device. Both the turbine and the floater have been designed using Froude scaling, in order to properly represent the EOLINK full scale 12MW concept. The device has been devised from scratch and deploys a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) and an individual electric blade pitch system. The patented mooring system comprises a single point mooring (SPM) system able to withstand very high tide ranges in shallow waters. Regarding monitoring, motions have been recorded using both an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and high precision Global Positioning System (GPS) sensors. Mooring lines tensions have also been monitored. Wind is recorded using both an embedded anemometer on the floating turbine and onshore anemometers installed by IFREMER. This Institute has also measured wave height using a wave recorder. Secondly, experimental results during production and storm events are presented. The encountered environmental conditions highlight the capability of the EOLINK design to withstand harsh wind events, and its ability to produce 12MW using a small sized semi-submersible floater. Then, numerical analysis using FAST and Flexcom is compared with experimental results. Static analysis, decay-tests, Response Amplitude Operators (RAOs) and Power Spectral Densities (PSDs) results are detailed. Power production and the embedded control command capabilities are also presented.

This paper describes a fully coupled numerical simulation methodology which is tailored towards floating offshore wind turbines. The technique assembles three key components; an aerodynamic model of the applied wind loads based on blade element momentum theory, a structural model of the floating platform and its associated mooring lines based on the nonlinear finite element method, and a hydrodynamic model of the wave-induced forces based on potential flow theory. The simulation methodology has been implemented in a commercial software product called ‘Flexcom Wind’, and the technical validation involves comparisons with experimental data derived from model-scale tank test facilities. The validation process centres on an innovative floating wind turbine concept developed by Eolink. Unlike most wind turbines in industry which are supported by a single mast, this patented design uses four separate pillars to connect the turbine structure to the corners of the floating platform. This unique configuration offers several advantages over conventional designs, including a more even stress distribution in structural members, reduced dynamic vibration, smaller floater size and lower overall capital expenditure. Data obtained from the numerical simulations combined with the empirical tests is helping to optimise the device, with a view to further improving its structural design and performance.