A methodology has been set up to predict the dynamic behavior of the fuel inside a vehicle tank (sloshing), in standard transient driving conditions, using a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) code. It is aimed at choosing and verifying the right location for the vapor valves on the tank shell, before a prototype is available for testing.
Numerical and experimental activities have been conducted on a real fuel tank, performing a prescribed sequence of oscillations that reproduce a series of road bends. The simulation has been set-up taking into consideration the complete time needed to achieve the results, starting from the CAD geometry and including modeling and computation, to make it as compatible as possible with the development time of a new vehicle. The comparison between test and simulation has shown a good correlation
The experience gained has been tentatively applied to the simulation of the dynamic behavior of a new fuel tank that is being designed.
The methodology, originally intended as a design verification tool, has now been developed as a design optimization tool.