Abstract
This paper aims to describe the set-up and some results of a 1/40 scale experiment on an innovative multi-purpose floating platform. The dataset of the experimental measurements collected is published in [1]. The experiment was carried out in the framework of the Blue Growth Farm project, which objective was to develop and demonstrate a modular, environmentally-friendly, automated floating platform, devoted to aquaculture and wind-wave energy production. The experiment was aimed at assessing the main features of the coupled dynamics of the platform and at providing data for numerical models validation. The tests were carried out in the 50mx30mx5m ocean engineering tank of Centrale Nantes under several combinations of wind-wave conditions with the wind turbine represented by a Software-In-The-Loop approach. The model was also equipped with a set of oscillating water column wave energy converters and aquaculture net cages. This paper presents some of the results obtained under free decay and regular wave test conditions, without wind. In particular, platform motions in surge, heave and pitch are analyzed. To assess the impact of the WECs and of the cage models on the overall structure dynamics, three different structure configurations are compared and some conclusions are drawn.