CFD Analysis of Sloshing in the Fuel Tank of a Heavy Vehicle with Emergency Braking System

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 4, 340 - 348, 31.12.2023

Turan Alp Arslan Hüseyin Bayrakçeken Hicri Yavuz

https://doi.org/10.30939/ijastech..1360466

Abstract

Liquid sloshing, which occurs in all accelerating and liquid-carrying vehicles, is of great importance, especially in the automotive and aerospace industries. Large-scale fluid sloshing causes both operational and safety problems in vehicles. In this study, the fuel tank of a heavy vehicle with an emergency braking system is designed in three dimensions, and liquid sloshing in the fuel tank is investigated by CFD analysis meth-od. VOF solution method, k-ԑ turbulence model, and PISO solution algorithm are used in the study. In the analysis of liquid sloshing, it is assumed that the vehicle is traveling at a certain speed, decelerates and stops with emergency braking, and remains station-ary for a while. The braking scenario and boundary conditions are based on test data from a heavy vehicle manufacturer. The designed fuel tank with a capacity of 207.6 li-ters was analyzed at 25%, 50%, and 60% diesel fuel filling levels in 6 different cases with and without anti-slosh baffles. Four virtual sensors were placed on the side wall of the fuel tank in the direction of vehicle movement, and time-dependent pressure changes were analyzed for all cases. In addition, the fuel volume ratio in all cases is visualized and presented for specific time steps. With the use of anti-slosh baffles, the maximum pressure, the rate of pressure increase, and the liquid sloshing were reduced by a factor of 2-3 for different cases. With the design of the fuel tank using anti-slosh baffles, instantaneous interruptions in the fuel system are prevented. Reducing the im-pact pressures on the tank walls is expected to positively affect noise, vibration, and stability problems.

Keywords

CFD, Emergency braking system, Fuel tank, Sloshing, Tank baffles, VOF

Ethical Statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the study.

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