Abstract
Ocean current energy is a very promising natural power source due to its steady and enormous flow. However, the implementation of the energy harvesting device is more complicated and difficult from the off-shore and deep-ocean environments. A floating Kuroshio turbine system (FKT) which is developing in Taiwan also faces various challenges and concerns. For the mooring system, the instant tension shock from the ocean flow and the wave, especially during the launching process, might cause the destructive damage to the FKT system. In this study, we used the simulation data of the FKT system by OrcaFlex software in a preliminary study to investigate the dynamic response of the FKT’s mooring system with two shock-absorbing mechanisms. The original mooring system without these mechanisms was compared as a benchmark. All these components were built as a lumped system by the physical-based modelling software, MapleSim. The weight and mechanical properties of the cable, the shear and buoyance forces from the fluid, the model’s degree of freedom, and the parameters of the shock-absorbing mechanism were all considered and addressed in this study.