The effect of the stiffeners of the external-pressure tank in a buoyancy regulator on the inside liquid sloshing

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to research the effect of the external-pressure tank’s inside-stiffeners on the liquid sloshing in the tank. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts the volume of fluid (VOF) method and control variable method to study the impacts of the shape, length and height of the stiffeners on the liquid sloshing response inside the external-pressure tank. Findings The anti-sloshing performance of the T-shape stiffener is greater than the ring-shape stiffener. Through parametric studies, it is found that the different geometry parameters (the height, width of the stiffener) have different effect on the water sloshing. Originality/value The stiffeners are usually used in the water tank of the large unmanned underwater vehicle (LUUV) to meet the requirements for withstanding external pressure. In practical engineering, it has been found that stiffeners have a certain anti-sloshing effect on the water in the external-pressured water tank of the LUUV, but there is a lack of systematic research in this area. This paper focuses on the anti-sloshing performance of stiffeners in the external-pressured water tank of the LUUV, providing new insights for the optimization design of anti-sloshing structures for external-pressured water tanks of the LUUV.