Water Discharge of a Rotating Tank CFD Simulation

This CFD simulation explores the dynamic process of water discharge from a rotating tank using ANSYS Fluent’s Volume of Fluid (VOF) model. The VOF method is particularly suitable for this transient simulation due to its ability to capture the evolving free surface between water and air, as well as handle the rotating motion of the tank during the discharge process.

Key aspects of this simulation include:

VOF Model Setup: Configuring the VOF model to accurately represent the changing water-air interface throughout the discharge process. This involves defining water and air as primary and secondary phases, and setting up phase interactions.

Rotating Reference Frame: Implementing a rotating reference frame to simulate the tank’s rotation. This approach allows for accurate representation of the centrifugal forces acting on the fluid as it discharges.

Discharge Outlet Modeling: Incorporating the discharge outlet geometry into the simulation domain, ensuring proper representation of the flow exit point and its interaction with the rotating fluid.

Transient Simulation: Setting up the time-dependent aspects of the simulation to capture the dynamic nature of the discharge process, including the changing water level, evolving free surface, and varying discharge rates over time.

Boundary Conditions: Defining appropriate time-dependent boundary conditions for the tank walls, free surface, and discharge outlet. Special attention is given to the interface between the rotating tank and the stationary outlet.

Turbulence Modeling: Selecting and configuring a suitable turbulence model to capture the complex, time-varying flow patterns caused by the rotation and discharge process.

Post-processing and Analysis: Examining time-dependent results such as water surface profiles, velocity distributions, pressure fields, and discharge rates. This includes creating animations and time-series visualizations to illustrate the evolving flow patterns, free surface behavior, and discharge characteristics.

Performance Evaluation: Assessing the impact of rotation speed on discharge rate, water surface shape, and overall flow characteristics over the course of the discharge process.

This simulation provides valuable insights into the transient behavior of rotating tank systems during discharge, helping to understand the influence of centrifugal forces on fluid motion and time-varying discharge processes. Participants will gain skills in applying the VOF model to a complex, time-dependent rotating flow scenario, focusing on multiphase flow behavior in rotating reference frames and interpretation of transient results in the context of tank discharge operations. The training will enhance understanding of how rotation affects fluid behavior and discharge characteristics over time, which has applications in various industrial processes and equipment design.