A simplified pump tower approach for realistic CFD simulation of sloshing in LNG tanks

Godderidge, B., Turnock, S.R., Tan, M. and Earl, C (2009) A simplified pump tower approach for realistic CFD simulation of sloshing in LNG tanks. Transactions of The Royal Institution of Naval Architects Part A: International Journal of Maritime Engineering, 151 (3), Summer Issue, 1-11.

Abstract

The complexity of the sloshing analysis for liquefied natural gas carriers can be reduced by neglecting the pump tower. The validity of this assumption is examined by studying the effect of the pump tower, located near the aft bulkhead of a typical LNG tank on the sloshing flow evolution. Results are compared for surge-induced sloshing in a rectangular tank with pump tower to that without such an obstruction. A commercial flow solver is used to solve the unsteady Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes equations for an inhomogeneous multiphase flow. Initial validation of the sloshing flow uses the experimental data of Hinatsu. It was found that a simplified pump tower consisting of a single vertical tube was suitable to capture the effect of the pump tower without the necessity of discretising the fine geometric detail of the pump tower structure. A suitable size for the simplified tower diameter was found using the total fluid force on a real pump tower in a steady flow for a similar range of Reynolds Number. This reduces the required mesh size by an order of magnitude. Although it is found that the effect of the pump tower on the overall force levels is small reductions of local impact pressures of up to 50% are observed and the sloshing flow develops a phase lag compared to the unobstructed tank.

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Contributors

Author: S.R. Turnock

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