Abstract
Wind load of an external floating-roof tank is analyzed using large eddy simulation (LES). First, the governing equations and a LES solution procedure employing FLUENT software are presented. Subsequently, using two benchmark tank models, the accuracy of LES is examined and the advantages of LES over wind Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) method in computing the unsteady wind loads and vortex structures around a tank are validated. Finally, using LES, the turbulent flows and wind loads around an external floating-roof tank at varying Reynolds numbers and liquid levels are analyzed. The DSM SGS model was found to have better accuracy when LES is applied to the tank flow. For an external floating-roof tank, the Reynolds number has little influence on the wind load at Re > 106, while the liquid level affects significantly both the wind loads on the tank and the vortex structures in the flow, and the wind pressure on the internal wall distributes more evenly than that on the external wall, due to the recirculation of the flow in the cavity above the roof. In all cases, the pressure on the external floating-roof tank oscillates apparently with time, which indicates the necessity of applying LES to the wind load analysis of tanks.
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