US 8,798,976 B2Granted

Calculating liquid levels in arbitrarily shaped containment vessels using solid modeling

AssigneeThe Boeing Company

InventorsStephen L. Ray, Thomas A. Grandine, Jan H. Vandenbrande, Douglas A. Carr

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Abstract

Systems and method for simulating liquid containment behavior. The system comprises a solid modeler and a nonlinear equation solver. The nonlinear equation solver takes as input the solid model representation of the containment vessel from the solid modeler, a desired orientation in space, dynamic conditions (e.g., lateral acceleration) and an amount of liquid. To find the level of liquid in the vessel, the system solver iteratively performs successive Boolean subtractions using an infinite horizontal half-space that represents the liquid level of the vessel. The resulting sliced solid model is used to compute the volume of the liquid at that level. The iterative system solver terminates when the computed volume of the sliced containment vessel matches the specified volume of liquid (e.g., fuel) within a given tolerance.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method, performed by a processor, for calculating a simulated liquid surface plane location in a simulated containment vessel, comprising:

(a) storing a first set of data comprising a solid model representation of said containment vessel;
(b) storing a second set of data representing a spatial orientation of said containment vessel;
(c) storing a third set of data representing a magnitude and direction of acceleration of said containment vessel;
(d) storing target volume data representing a target volume of liquid in said containment vessel;
(e) determining first and second z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said containment vessel, said first and second z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said third set of data and being a function of at least said first, second and third sets of data and said target volume data;
(f) computing a z value of a first liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said containment vessel that lies between said first and second z-value limits;
and
(g) computing first volume data representing a first volume of liquid in said containment vessel and beneath a surface plane located at said first liquid surface plane location.

5 more elements

A method, performed by a processor, for simulating the behavior of liquid in a containment vessel comprising first and second compartments that communicate via an interconnection, comprising:

(a) storing first and second sets of data comprising respective solid model representations of said first and second compartments;
(b) storing a third set of data representing a spatial orientation of said containment vessel;
(c) storing a fourth set of data representing a magnitude and direction of acceleration of said containment vessel;
(d) storing a fifth set of data representing an area and an elevation of said interconnection between said first and second compartments;
(e) storing first and second target volume data, said first and second target volume data representing first and second target volumes of liquid contained in said first and second compartments respectively;
(f) determining first and second z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said first compartment, said first and second z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said fourth set of data and being a function of at least said first, third and fourth sets of data and said first target volume data;
(g) computing a first z value of a first liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said first compartment that lies between said first and second z-value limits;
(h) determining third and fourth z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said second compartment, said third and fourth z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said fourth set of data and being a function of at least said second, third and fourth sets of data and said second target volume data;
(i) computing a second z value of a second liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said second compartment that lies between said third and fourth z-value limits;
(j) calculating a differential pressure due to a difference between said first and second z values of said locations of said first and second liquid surface planes in said first and second compartments;
and
(k) calculating a rate of liquid flow from one of said first and second compartments to the other.

9 more elements

A system for calculating a simulated liquid surface plane location in a simulated containment vessel, comprising:

computer memory storing a first set of data comprising a solid model representation of said containment vessel, a second set of data representing a spatial orientation of said containment vessel, a third set of data representing a magnitude and direction of acceleration of said containment vessel, and target volume data representing a target volume of liquid in said containment vessel;
and
a processor programmed to perform the following operations:
(a) determining first and second z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said containment vessel, said first and second z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said third set of data and being a function of at least said first, second and third sets of data and said target volume data;
(b) computing a z value of a first liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said containment vessel that lies between said first and second z-value limits;
and
(c) computing first volume data representing a first volume of liquid in said containment vessel and beneath a surface plane located at said first liquid surface plane location.

4 more elements

A system for simulating the behavior of liquid in a containment vessel comprising first and second compartments that communicate via an interconnection, comprising:

computer memory storing first and second sets of data comprising respective solid model representations of said first and second compartments, a third set of data representing a spatial orientation of said containment vessel, a fourth set of data representing a magnitude and direction of acceleration of said containment vessel, a fifth set of data representing an area and an elevation of said interconnection between said first and second compartments, and first and second target volume data representing first and second target volumes of liquid in said first and second compartments respectively;
and
a processor programmed to perform the following operations:
(a) determining first and second z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said first compartment, said first and second z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said fourth set of data and being a function of at least said first, third and fourth sets of data and said first target volume data;
(b) computing a first z value of a first liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said first compartment that lies between said first and second z-value limits;
(c) determining third and fourth z-value limits of a possible location of a surface plane of liquid in said second compartment, said third and fourth z-value limits being referenced to a z direction that is aligned with said direction of acceleration of said fourth set of data and being a function of at least said second, third and fourth sets of data and said second target volume data;
(d) computing a second z value of a second liquid surface plane location of a surface plane of liquid in said second compartment that lies between said third and fourth z-value limits;
(e) calculating a differential pressure due to a difference between said first and second z values of said locations of said first and second liquid surface planes in said first and second compartments;
and
(f) calculating a rate of liquid flow from one of said first and second compartments to the other.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/933,147Filed 2 Jul 2013 · continuation
Priority: 10 Dec 2010
Published: US 2013/0311157 A121 Nov 2013
Granted: 5 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G06F 30/20
Computer-aided design [CAD]: design optimisation, verification or simulation
G01F 17/00
Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or
G01F 22/00
Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material
G06F 30/00
Computer-aided design [cad]

Family

Application12/964,771Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Dec 2010
US 2013/0311157 A1Pre-grant publication · published 21 Nov 2013
US 8,521,495 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2012/0150517 A1Published application
US 8,798,976 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.