Conceptual design
Any conceptual design of a slosh mitigation product requires to separate the air from the bulk liquid that partially fills the mobile tank. This separation of air and bulk liquid shall already be established during the tank being filled with liquid, i.e. prior to any transportation of the liquid.
Furthermore, the concept design shall provide for shape retention of parts and components inside the mobile tank to avoid, during transportation, possibilities for the liquid to move relatively to the mobile tank. The concept design is also to ensure such shape retention while being subjected to dynamic loads, which possibly may occur during transportation.
A conceptual design of components of a slosh mitigation product, positioned inside a mobile tank comprising three compartments. The components include two independent inflatable elements, consisting of;
- The larger chamber, centrally positioned ones aiming at separating all air from the liquid at any liquid fill level,
- The smaller channels, positioned along the circumference of the larger central chamber, to ensure shape retention
Description of design concepts
All varieties of conceptual designs of slosh mitigation products comprise:
- Inflatable components
- Supporting pneumatics and electronics.
- Passage through the wall of the mobile tank.
- Ancillaries to cater for interfaces with the means of transportation.
The design concepts of the inflatable components allow for the following possibilities:
- A single fixed volume chamber.
- A single variable volume chamber
- Multiple chambers consisting of any combination of fixed or variable volume chambers.
The slosh mitigation product will have parts inside as well as outside the mobile tank. As the slosh mitigation product is a load securing device, being applied prior to transportation, such may allow for disconnection of part(s) of the product during transportation. This disconnection of parts should meet mandatory requirements of mobile tanks being an enclosure during transportation, or may meet logistical requirements.
Slosh mitigation design concepts may provide for other than slosh mitigation performances, as such design concepts may restrict the possibilities to use other provisions ensuring such performances, or as the inclusion of such other performance in the concept design is possible, with acceptable increase in technical complexity, as well as being economically attractive.
Functional performance of design concepts
The conceptual design inflatable component of a slosh mitigation product assures shape retention to avoid possibilities for the liquid to move relatively to the mobile tank, during transportation. This shape retention is created by tensioning of the flexible material, which is also to possess a rather high Young’s modulus, used to manufacture the inflatable component. This tensioning can be achieved by:
- Inflation of the enclosed component to a sufficiently high pressure, or
- Dimensional changes of the component material at the liquid contact surface between the liquid (off-)loading and the stationary situation.
The concept design is also to ensure such shape retention, while being subjected to dynamic loads, which possibly may occur during transportation. The transfer of loads may result through either an enforced contact or a matching shape contact between the inflatable component and the inner wall of the mobile tank.
The functional performance requirements and the choice of the most appropriate concept design, follow from the specified targets set thereto.
