Sloshing study on prismatic LNG tank for the vertical location of the rotational center

Experimental and numerical analyses for sloshing tests are configured by conceptual cases of risk scenarios. However, in some of them, unrealistic settings are employed, which can overestimate the results. In this work, numerical sloshing analyses are developed by the potential theory with SESAM HydroD and the Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) method. The first is to identify the sloshing effect on the global motions of a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tanker and resonant periods for a range of filling fractions in prismatic tanks and to generate realistic operative conditions. Then, the MPS method is applied to compare the influence of the ship’s rotational center location on the exerted forces and moments due to sloshing. The results illustrate that the sloshing effects must be included in the global motion responses of LNG tankers with partially filled tanks, comparing the dynamic pressure time histories and the additional contribution of total sway forces and total roll moments on LNG prismatic tank considering different locations of the rotational center. This study shows the importance of selecting the real operative conditions, as the rotational center location, which can provoke lower or higher non-real contributions.