Numerical Simulation of Sloshing in a Tank, CFD Calculations Against Model Tests

Simulation of liquid dynamics in an LNG tank is studied numerically. The applied CFD code solves Navier-Stokes equations and uses an improved Volume of Fluid (iVOF) method to track movement of fluid’s free surface. Relative advantages of using two different fluid models, single-phase (liquid+void) and two-phase (liquid+compressible gas) are discussed, the latter model being capable of simulating bubbles and gas entrapped in liquid. Furthermore, the 1^st and 2^nd order upwind differencing schemes are used with both physical models leading to a total of four possible approaches to solve the problem. Numerical results are verified against experimental data from large scale (1:10) sloshing experiments of 2D section of an LNG carrier. The CFD vs. experiment comparison is shown for tank filling rates of practical interest, ranging from 10% to 95%, and includes both fluid height and fluid pressure exerted on tank walls. A visual comparison in form of computer animation frames, synchronised with camera-made movies taken during the experiments is included as well. Finally, an exhaustive computational grid convergence study is presented for lower filling rates of the tank.