CFD Analysis of a Kerosene Fuel Tank to Reduce Liquid Sloshing

Sloshing is a phenomenon of fluid-structure interaction. It occurs due to agitation of fluid in fractionally filled container. A case study of a fuel tank partially filled with Kerosene was simulated in this paper using Volume of Fluid (VOF) multiphase model. Simulations compared the amplitude of sloshing in tank with and without the use of baffles. CFD analysis was carried out using a commercial finite volume package ANSYS FLUENT 12.0. The tank was set into motion by giving an acceleration of 9.81 m/s(2) in the +X direction for 1.5 seconds. The fuel was also under the action of gravity in -Z direction. It was found from the CFD transient simulations of the Kerosene liquid interface that the sloshing in the fuel tank was significantly reduced with the introduction of baffles in the fuel tank. The damping effect of the baffles was clearly visible in the obtained results. Further research can be undertaken in improving the optimum configuration and dimensions of the baffles in order to further reduce the sloshing in the fuel tank. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.