Experimental Study of the Hydrodynamic Forces of Pontoon Raft Aquaculture Facilities Around a Wind Farm Monopile Under Wave Conditions

The integrated development of offshore wind power and marine aquaculture represents a promising approach to the sustainable utilization of ocean resources. The present study investigated the hydrodynamic response of an innovative combination of a wind farm monopile and pontoon raft aquaculture facilities (PRAFs). Physical water tank experiments were conducted on PRAFs deployed around a wind farm monopile using the following configurations: single- and three-row arrangements of PRAFs with and without a monopile. The interaction between the aquaculture structure and the wind farm monopile was examined, with a particular focus on the mooring line tensions and bridle line tensions under different wave conditions. Utilizing the wind farm monopile foundation as an anchor, the mooring line tension was reduced significantly by 16–66% in the single-row PRAF. The multi-row PRAF arrangement experienced lower mooring line tension in comparison with the single-row PRAF arrangement, with the highest reduction of 73%. However, for the bridle line tension, the upstream component was enhanced, while the downstream one was weakened with a monopile, and they both decreased in the multi-row arrangement. Finally, we developed numerical models based on flume tank tests that examined the interactions between the monopile and PRAFs, including configurations of a single monopile, along with single- and three-row arrangements of PRAFs. The numerical simulation results confirmed that the monopile had a dampening effect on the wave propagation of 5% to 20%, and the impact of the pontoons on the monopile was negligible, implying that the integration of aquaculture facilities around wind farm infrastructure may not significantly alter the hydrodynamic loads experienced by the monopile.