Nonlinear interactions in wave-group focusing are regarded as one of the main mechanisms in the generation of destructive extreme waves. In real seas, the wideband bimodal state is a typical configuration, containing interactions within a single wave group and between different wave groups. The former has been well uncovered under the assumption of narrow bandwidth, but the latter is poorly understood. In this paper, physical experiments are conducted to reveal the physics of double-wave-group focusing considering various energy distributions. Superposed wavemaker signals generated by the iteration method are applied to produce a double-wave-group focusing with the interactions being decomposed. Results of the wavelet-based bicoherence spectrum show that double-wave-group focusing is distinguished from the linear superposition of two single-wave-group focusing mainly in the nonlinear interactions induced by the second-order sum harmonics. Under the assumption of equivalent energy, interactions of the second-order sum harmonics between the lower frequency group and higher frequency group cannot be ignored in swell-dominated states, and lesser linear interactions and stronger nonlinear interactions are observed while the spectral distribution of the double-wave-group is more asymmetrical. This work is anticipated to contribute to the understanding of the generation mechanism of extreme waves driven by strong nonlinearity.

Offshore floating wind turbine (OFWT) has gained increasing attention during the past decade because of the offshore high‐quality wind power and complex load environment. The control system is a tradeoff between power tracking and fatigue load reduction in the above‐rated wind speed area. In allusion to the external disturbances and uncertain system parameters of OFWT due to the proximity to load centers and strong wave coupling, this paper proposes a computationally inexpensive robust adaptive control approach with memory‐based compensation for blade pitch control. The method is tested and compared with a baseline controller and a conventional individual blade pitch controller with the “NREL offshore 5 MW baseline wind turbine” being mounted on a barge platform run on FAST and Matlab/Simulink, operating in the above‐rated condition. It is shown that the advanced control approach is not only robust to complex wind and wave disturbances but adaptive to varying and uncertain system parameters as well. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method performs better in reducing power fluctuations, fatigue loads and platform vibration as compared to the conventional individual blade pitch control.

Integrating point absorber wave energy converters (PAWECs) and an offshore floating wind platform provide a cost-effective way of joint wind and wave energy exploitation. However, the coupled dynamics of the complicated hybrid system and its influence on power performance are not well understood. Here, a frequency-domain-coupled hydrodynamics, considering the constraints and the power output through the relative motion between the PAWECs and the semi-submersible platform, is introduced to optimize the size, power take-off damping, and layout of the PAWECs. Results show that the annual wave power generation of a PAWEC can be improved by 30% using a 90° conical or a hemispherical bottom instead of a flat bottom. Additionally, while letting the PAWECs protrude out the sides of the triangular frame of the platform by a distance of 1.5 times the PAWEC radius, the total power generation can be improved by up to 18.2% without increasing the motion response of the platform. The PAWECs can reduce the resonant heave motion of the platform due to the power take-off damping force. This study provides a reference for the synergistic use of wave and wind energy.

Directional distribution is believed to have a significant impact on the statistical characteristics in multi-directional sea states. In real sea states, short-crested waves are discrete not only in frequency but also in direction. For the former one, they are well explained in unidirectional mode, but for the latter one, they are not. In this paper, the kurtosis of short-crested waves with equivalent energy is first discussed. Unimodal-spectrum-multi-direction sea states and bimodal-spectrum-multi-direction sea states are simulated for a long time in a numerical wave basin based on the high-order spectral method. In the equivalent sea-swell sea state, the spatial evolution of kurtosis becomes more inhomogeneous, along with the maximum value of kurtosis being larger and the area where the maximum value occurs wider in the configuration with a crossing angle β = 40° than that with β = 0°, while little variations in swell-dominated and wind-sea-dominated states. A positive linear correlation between wavelet group steepness and kurtosis is obtained in a unimodal sea state, but not applied to a crossing sea state characterized by a bimodal spectrum. The exceedance probability of wave height and wave crest distribution at maximum kurtosis is also given. These findings can help predict the probability of extreme waves occurring, guiding the selection of ocean engineering sites to avoid extreme configurations.

Current is considered to be a crucial environmental factor in producing extreme waves. The study of nonlinear characteristics in wave–current interactions has been explored, but the role of currents in the more complex interaction processes of double-wave-group focusing is not yet known. Based on our previous research about the nonlinear interactions between wave groups, the impact of uniform current on nonlinear characteristics of double-wave-group focusing is to be investigated in this paper. A fully nonlinear numerical model using the high-order spectral method is developed to simulate various currents interacting with focused bimodal waves. Three ranges of variation exist: strongly opposing current, weakly opposing current, and following current. Unlike the conclusion in the unimodal waves, the asymmetries of the wave crest and that of the wave envelope influenced by currents are not synchronous, which is explained by the changes in the asymmetry of the secondary crests received energy from the currents, in addition to those of the magnitude of the maximum crest and the adjacent secondary crests. When opposing currents enhance to a certain level, a dynamic equilibrium between the energy of waves and currents would be achieved, in which the proportion of the linear components to their own is almost equivalent to that in the non-current state, revealing that the majority of nonlinearity generated by wave–current interaction is blocked at that time. These findings can promote an understanding of nonlinear characteristics due to wave–current interactions.