Abstract
Floating offshore wind turbine-generator systems are expected to install in areas that have very deep waters. Vertical axis wind turbines possess great potential for floating offshore applications because they excel in stability of a floating platform due to a generator and gearbox installed near an oscillation center. To conduct a feasibility study on floating offshore systems using vertical axis wind turbines, a performance analytical model of vertical axis wind turbines under inclined axis conditions is developed by extending a conventional multiple streamtube model. Then, the impact of the inclined axis conditions on the performances of a straight-wing vertical axis wind turbine is analyzed. The calculation result reveals the mechanism of the slight increase in the maximum power coefficient under inclined axis conditions.
