The refueling phase, in the automotive field, is a common but at the same time delicate task. The analysis of the correct shape of the pipe and the tank as a function of different operating conditions is now possible using the most recent and accurate fluid dynamics software.
XC Engineering work since many years in these sectors, collaborating with leading European companies and using and reselling the software FLOW-3D. The outstanding capabilities of this tool to model transient and free surface flows allow the user to analyze quickly and without any additional cost all the interesting quantities in different scenarios. It becomes easy to determine typical performance of a refueling system as the shut off, the flow rate of vapors, the movement of the anti speed back valve and the maximum level of liquid in the tank.
The geometry of the pipe, as well as that of the tank, can be optimized through the use of numerical tools together with the experience of the engineers of XC Engineering or of the users of the software. It’s possible to determine the optimal configurations both in the refueling phase and to improve the behavior of the fluid subject to sloshing, and in many other problems typical of the tanks in the automotive field.