Numerical Investigation of Drag Embedment Anchor Model Reduction for FOWTs in Coarse and Fine-Grained Baltic Sea Soil

Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) enable renewable energy generation in deep ocean locations and provide economic and ecological benefits. However, reliable anchoring remains challenging due to a limited understanding of seabed-anchor interactions. This study examines the extent to which drag embedment anchor (DEA) models can be simplified without impacting penetration depth results in CEL simulations. Five DEA models with varying complexity were tested in typical Baltic Sea soils, sand and clay, modeled within a hypoplastic and visco-hypoplastic framework. Results suggest that the most simplified model is sufficient for sand. However, precaution should be taken when altering the anchor model in a clay environment due to the nonlinear relationship between model complexity and performance. This study offers insights into optimizing model complexity and computational efficiency in DEA simulations, ultimately improving safety and effectiveness for floating anchor installations.