Free Surface Oscillation in Sloshing Problem Predicted with ALE Method

A numerical prediction method has been proposed to predict non-linear free surface oscillation in a three-dimensional container. The fluid motions are numerically predicted with Navier-Stokes equations discretized in a Lagrangian scheme with sufficient numerical accuracy. The profile of a free surface is precisely represented with three-dimensional body-fitted coordinates (BFC), which are regenerated in each computational step on the basis of the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) formulation. In order to confirm the reliability of the computational method, it was firstly applied to three-dimensional flows within complicated-shaped rigid boundaries, such as curved pipes and ducts. Than it was applied to benchmark computations related to free surface oscillations. Following these basic verifications, non-linear sloshings in a cylindrical tank and transitions from sloshing to swirling motions were numerically predicted. Throughout these computations, the applicability of the present computational method has been confirmed and some of the predicted free surface motions were visualized as sequential images and animations to understand their dynamic futures.