Energies, Vol. 18, Pages 6388: Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis of Energy Consumption in Floating Structures Under Typical and Typhoon Meteorological Conditions
Energies doi: 10.3390/en18246388
Authors:
Wei Zheng
Yufei Wu
Wenchao Chen
Maolin Chen
Lixiao Li
Floating structures are increasingly recognized as crucial infrastructure for deep-sea energy exploitation, offshore communities, and maritime hub facilities in recent years. Understanding their energy consumption characteristics under varying meteorological conditions is essential for ensuring operational efficiency and resilience. This study investigates the influencing factors and variation patterns of energy use in floating structures under normal and typhoon environments. Three representative scenarios with different scales and functions were developed based on a bionic hexagon-shaped floating unit, and their respective energy demands were defined. A systematic sensitivity analysis was conducted using DeST with Typical Meteorological Year data and field observations from Super Typhoon Yagi (No. 2411) at Qionghai Station. Results indicate that, according to sensitivity analysis using the dynamic “intraday fluctuation + daily quantile” threshold, dry-bulb temperature and specific humidity are the dominant factors influencing floating-structure energy consumption, contributing 31.1% and 7.8% increases, respectively—significantly higher than other parameters. Under typhoon conditions, total energy consumption rose slightly relative to the TMY baseline, by 0.12%, 0.49%, and 0.95% across the three scenarios, with diurnal variations within ±5%. This study provides a quantitative basis for optimizing energy storage design and enhancing the resilience of floating structures to extreme meteorological events.