{"id":15699,"date":"2020-10-05T02:21:02","date_gmt":"2020-10-05T06:21:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/?p=15699"},"modified":"2026-03-26T06:19:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T10:19:57","slug":"tank-sloshing-simulation-slosh-my-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/simcenter\/tank-sloshing-simulation-slosh-my-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Tank sloshing simulation. Slosh my world!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tank sloshing simulations on an industrial development timeline? Impossible… or?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The other day, curiosity pushed me to read articles and papers <\/a>about tank sloshing simulation of satellite\u2019s fuel tanks. The strong coupling between the liquid propellant motion in the spherical tank and the solid deformation of the solid membrane is fascinating. Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) can be challenging to simulate as two types of numerical solvers and technologies (fluid with finite volume and solid with finite element) need to communicate and converge together toward the solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some conclusions of some recent papers shocked me. They stated that such simulations were too troublesome and that the tools were not efficient enough to provide results in an industrial timeline. As an application engineer for Simcenter STAR-CCM+<\/a>, I use this tool daily for multiphysics applications among them: FSI studies. Maybe they did not use the right tool for this type of analysis, a bit like using a hammer on a screw, you will end up nailing the screw but at the price of much more effort, accuracy and time wasted than you would if you used a screwdriver. I was then eager to solve this challenging study with Simcenter STAR-CCM+ ‘s embedded FSI capabilities to make the most out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First simulation: Just a tank<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Based on a NASA publication<\/a>, I started to reproduce the test bench setup with a tank sloshing simulation using the little information shared there. A sinusoidal lateral displacement stimulates the tank over three periods. It then rests to witness the natural damping of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I decided to work on a full scale one-meter diameter tank filled up to 60 percent. The excitation period is 1.5 seconds. The first simulation I created had no solid membrane to use it as reference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free surface of the propellant sloshing in a spherical tank obtained with Simcenter STAR-CCM+<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The oscillations take quite a while to vanish as only viscosity dissipates energy here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding a hyperelastic membrane<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the study in the paper, I am starting simple with a flat membrane. It is made of SIFA-35, a hyperelastic material used for aerospace tank diaphragms. The solid part is added to the tank sloshing simulation. In a few clicks, a two-way coupled FSI simulation is now setup in Simcenter STAR-CCM. This means that the pressure of the fluid deforms the solid part and this displacement morphs the mesh to affect the fluid back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within 3 hours on six cores of my workstation, I could get results correlating well with the NASA screenshots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Amplified displacement of a flat membrane during sloshing published in a NASA paper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Amplified displacement of the flat membrane during sloshing obtained in a Simcenter STAR-CCM+ FSI simulation <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Amplified crater shaped membrane displacement before and during the sloshing published in a NASA paper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n