• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.17-25
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• 2024

In this study, the effect of the time step specified in a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation on load response is analyzed and the drag coefficients of the floating body of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are estimated. By evaluating the error in the FOWT load response and the change in the drag-coefficient values based on the density of the time intervals, this study aims to establish a time-interval setting that minimizes the time and cost of CFD simulations for selecting drag-coefficient values. Practical CFD utilization strategies necessary for the calibration of medium-to high-fidelity analysis tools are presented. Based on a comparative analysis of CFD simulations conducted at various time intervals, the results confirmed that under a certain time interval that sufficiently considers various factors, the accuracy of the FOWT response with respect to density shows minimal differences, thereby providing an efficient utilization method for CFD simulations in FOWT design and analysis.