Kinematic, dynamic and energy characteristics of swirling sloshing waves

Abstract

The numerical study was made to investigate the evolution of swirling waves during the transient period, including the dynamic, kinematic and energy characteristics of the waves. A rigorous benchmark was made with the experimental measurement to validate the developed numerical model. The viscous effect (Reynolds number effect) of fluid during resonant sloshing was studied and discussed. The beating phenomenon of sloshing waves is described by the relationship between the wave energy and the energy flux transferred from the tank walls. The energy transfer characteristics of swirling waves represent the intensity of sloshing, which can cause significant instability for moving vehicles. The strength of the swirling waves is varied with the excitation angle, excitation frequency and water depth of the tank. The most dangerous excitation angle of a tank during the first beating period is 30°. The beating phenomena of the swirling waves under different water depths exhibit dissimilar behaviours. In the finite depth (d0/L > 0.3), the energy of sloshing waves is still stored inside the tank between the second and third beatings, which will have a serious influence on the stability of the storage containers. The evolutions of swirling waves are very sensitive to physical conditions, including liquid depth, excitation angles, excitation amplitudes and frequencies of external forcing.