Influence of inflow conditions on the hydrodynamic characteristics of floating photovoltaic membrane structures

Abstract

The floating photovoltaic membrane prototype developed by Ocean Sun was selected as a reference object, and a 1∶40 scale laboratory model was designed and produced to further explore the impact of inflow conditions on the hydrodynamic properties of the membrane structure. By conducting free attenuation tests, results showed that the inflow has only a slight effect on the natural frequencies of the heave, pitch, and surge of the membrane structure. This finding shows that the dynamic properties of the membrane structure remain essentially stable under different inflow conditions. The results of further regular and irregular wave hydrodynamic experiments show that, compared with the control group, the response of the membrane structure under inflow conditions in terms of heave, pitch, surge, and heave acceleration motions is relatively gentle, whereas the response of the membrane structure to the mooring force is strong. Especially when the waves are irregular, the inflow conditions have a more significant impact on the membrane structure, which may lead to more complex response changes in the structure. Therefore, in the actual engineering design process, the impact of inflow conditions on the behavior of the membrane structure must be fully considered, and appropriate engineering measures must be taken to ensure the safety and stability of the structure.