Analisis Pengaruh Variasi Ketinggian End Plate Pada Sounding Pipe Terhadap Karakteristik Sounding Table Tangki Bahan Bakar Tugboat Menggunakan Metode Numerik

Abstract

Tank calibration is an essential process for determining the relationship between liquid level (sounding) and the actual volume of fuel stored inside a tank. One factor affecting calibration results is the height of the end plate installed at the bottom of the sounding pipe, which serves as the reference point for sounding measurements. Variations in end plate height may alter the characteristics of the Sounding Table without changing the geometric capacity of the tank. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the effect of end plate height variation on the characteristics of the Sounding Table of tugboat fuel tanks using a numerical method. The study was conducted on three sister ships with identical tank geometry, tank capacity, and sounding pipe arrangement, representing three nominal end plate height groups of 60 mm, 100 mm, and 150 mm. The analyzed tanks consisted of the Daily Tank (Center), Fuel Oil Tank 2 (Port), and Fuel Oil Tank 3 (Port). Three-dimensional tank models were developed using Maxsurf Modeler, while calibration simulations were carried out using Maxsurf Stability to generate the corresponding Sounding Tables. The simulation results were analyzed descriptively by comparing dead volume, sounding–volume curves, and maximum sounding values as parameters representing the characteristics of the Sounding Table. The results indicate that increasing the end plate height increases dead volume, shifts the sounding– volume relationship, and reduces the maximum sounding value for all analyzed tanks. However, the total tank capacity remains unchanged because it is governed by the tank geometry. These findings demonstrate that end plate height significantly influences the characteristics of the Sounding Table. Therefore, actual end plate installation conditions should be considered during tank calibration to improve the accuracy of onboard fuel volume measurements.