Multi-Objective Optimization of Mooring Systems for Offshore Renewable Energy

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from EWTEC via the link in this record.This paper presents a method for the optimization of mooring systems in offshore renewable energy systems. This methodology considers the location of anchors as well as the length, material, and diameter of the mooring lines in order to simultaneously minimize the tension in the lines, the cost of the mooring system, and the fatigue damage in the system. By considering these three objectives using a multi-objective approach rather than reduction to a single objective optimization problem allows a Pareto hull of solutions to be obtained representing a range of solutions which balance the three objectives. From this, a system designer can select the design which appropriately balances the trade-off between the competing objectives. In this work, a set of mooring designs that represent efficient solutions for the constraints are found and presented considering the OC4 DeepCWind semi-submersible at Wave Hub. This reliability-based design optimization approach will be applicable to other offshore technology subsystems allowing reliability to be considered in a multi-objective optimization from the design phase.This work is funded by the EPSRC (UK) grant for the United Kingdom Centre for Marine Energy Research (UKCMER) [grant number: EP/P008682/1]