Investigating Effect of Fluid Density on Seismic Response of Steel Storage Tank

The seismic response of fluid-filled steel storage tanks is critical in earthquake-prone regions due to risks from fluid sloshing and structural impacts. While sloshing displacement is minimally affected by tank flexibility, impulsive pressures and base shear increase with it. Conventional tools like Staad Pro and ETABS struggle with capturing complex fluid-structure interactions (FSI), but advanced tools like ANSYS enable precise modeling of nonlinear behaviors and seismic dynamics. This study uses Time History Analysis (THA) in ANSYS to examine cylindrical tanks containing fuel oil, kerosene, and engine oil, focusing on how fluid density affects seismic responses like displacement, shear, moment, sloshing height, and hydrodynamic pressure. The findings of the work aim to enhance the design and safety of storage tanks under seismic loading.