Teaching design for a simulation experiment on the Ansys Fluent-based liquid impact characteristics of internal floating roof tanks during the oil-receiving process

To implement the educational mechanism of scientific research feeding back into teaching, enhance the practical teaching quality in oil and gas storage and transportation engineering, and embody the engineering education philosophy of “virtual–real integration and research–education–industry collaboration,” a simulation teaching experiment was designed on “Impact characteristics on floating roofs impact by liquid during oil receiving in internal floating roof tanks based on Ansys Fluent.”

The simulation experiment comprised three-dimensional modeling, mesh generation, configuration of simulation parameters, transient solution computation, result post-processing, analysis of turbulent flow characteristics during oil impact on the floating roof, and evaluation of surface pressure distribution and impact forces on the floating roof. Students were required to research literature and textbooks to understand transient simulation methods, classifications, and the applicability of turbulence models and moving mesh techniques. They had to gain expertise in operating software such as Ansys SpaceClaim, Ansys Meshing, and Ansys Fluent, as well as in writing profile files, and were expected to utilize Tecplot to process simulation data. Additionally, a comprehensive assessment and evaluation system encompassing the entire process before, during, and after the simulation experiments was established. Through activities such as pre-simulation preparation, simulation operations, and problem-solving, the practical simulation abilities of the students were thoroughly evaluated.

The numerical simulation of the oil-flow impact characteristics on the floating roof during normal oil receiving processes in internal floating roof tanks under different oil inlet velocities and initial liquid levels showed that at identical initial liquid levels, the turbulent kinetic energy and turbulent viscosity of the oil flow increased with rising inlet velocities. At constant oil inlet velocities, higher initial liquid levels reduced the pressure impact on the opposite tank wall of the inlet and the upper edge of the floating roof. Therefore, protection of these areas should be prioritized during low-level oil receiving processes to ensure tank safety and integrity and prevent fire and explosion incidents. Under identical oil inlet velocity conditions, when receiving oil at a low initial liquid level (1.8 m), the floating roof experiences greater impact forces. As the floating roof rose to 5 m and 9 m, the impact forces encountered during ascent changed relatively gradually over time, with the oil flow exerting comparatively smaller forces on the roof. When the oil inlet velocity increased from 2.5 m/s to 4 m/s, under identical initial liquid level conditions, the impact force peak gradually increased, and the time at which the peak is reached occurred earlier.

The instructional design of this simulation experiment reveals the flow field characteristics and response patterns of oil flow impacting a floating roof, providing a scientific basis for optimizing the structural design of floating roofs and the oil receiving and delivering process. Further, it sparks students’ interest in inquiry, exercises their software operation skills, cultivates their scientific research and innovative thinking, enhances their engineering application capabilities, and lays a solid foundation for their graduation projects. Thus, it further strengthens the groundwork for their subsequent participation in storage tank safety research and engineering design work.