Optimization of a Dual-Baffled Rectangular Tank Against the Sloshing Phenomenon

Abstract

A dual-baffled rectangular tank with different configurations is proposed to reduce the sloshing effect, and design optimization is conducted through numerical simulations with open-source software, namely OpenFOAM, based on the computational fluid dynamic model. A series of physical experiments in the dual-baffled rectangular tank is performed for model validation and design optimization with the measured water surface elevation distributions along the tank. The optimization uses the calculated maximum horizontal force exerted on the tank and entropy generation (EG) as the criterion. Results show that the dual-baffle configuration positioned at the tank center is more effective in reducing the sloshing than that of the single baffle when the relative baffle height and initial water depth ratio (H _b/H _w, where H _b and H _w represent baffle height and static water depth, respectively) are larger than 0.5. However, such an effect then diminishes when the ratio is larger than 0.75. The effect of the dual-baffle configuration on the sway motion under the condition of different motion amplitudes and frequencies is also evaluated. The results show that the reduction in the maximum horizontal force is almost the same for dual- and single-baffled configurations and reaches the minimum when the sway motion amplitude is near 0.03 m. The dual-baffled configuration for the angular frequency of the sway motion is more effective than the single-baffled in reducing the sloshing at the low angular frequencies but is only less effective at high angular frequencies. Furthermore, the optimal baffle inclination angle is 85° when the inclined straight and curved baffles are used, and curved baffles can successfully decrease the horizontal force exerted on the tank and EG.

Keywords

Rectangular storage tank / Dual-baffled rectangular tank / Sloshing phenomenon / Optimization / Horizontal force / Entropy generation