The sloshing phenomenon in sea going vessels defines the motion of a liquid in a partially-filled tank. Generated by external forces, this motion consequently generates inertial loads upon a vessel, potentially bringing about vessel instability and compromising the tank structural integrity. The maritime industry has carried out investigations to identify the stability effects of sloshing in partially-filled cargo tanks. Accordingly, tank-fill limitations have been acknowledged as precautions to prevent high-impact sloshing damage. The Maritime industry imposes a limitation defined that the vessel can only carry a volume-fill lower than 10% or higher than 70% of the height of the tank. This restriction, however, limits commercial transactions, specifically when handling spot trades and offshore loading/unloading at multiple ports along a shipping route
DeSloSH aims at enhancing the holistic safety and reliability of fuel-transporting vessels by designing a low-cost sloshing-suppressive infrastructure within storage tanks by developing an internal-tank structural design configurations to suppress the sloshing dynamics to enable vessels to safely travel with tanks filled between the 10% to 70%-fill prohibited range. By physically hindering the causation of the high-impact damage, this design shall offer a solution to the currently existing safety gap, permitting seaworthiness at all volume-fills; this beneficial advancement in vessel tank technology shall enhance economic trading.
Prof. Ing. Claire De Marco
Dr Mitchell Borg
This technology was funded by the Maritime Seed Award