In 2018, Engie commissioned the project "CFD Simulation of Different Heating Elements in a Large Storage Tank" to address a defined challenge in the energy sector. The assignment combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and multiphysics analysis with a decision-focused engineering study. Its purpose was to explain the governing physical behaviour, identify the variables controlling performance, and convert the findings into practical recommendations for design, operation and future development.

In this project, a large storage tank was simulated in order to design the most efficient heating element configuration. A very viscous fluid was maintained at a high temperature with continuous flow in and out of the tank. The aim was to maximise the natural convection within the tank, find the optimum heating element configuration, reduce the energy consumption and to find the best location to place the temperature probes within the tank. The simulations were successfully conducted for a number of designs and the most efficient configuration based on optimum heat transfer and velocity distributions were selected. All the hot and cold spots within the tank were also identified to provide the best locations to place the temperature probes. In addition, the effects of external wind on the tank was also taken into consideration when deciding on the best heating element configuration, to minimise energy consumption.

The methodology centred on a three-dimensional conjugate heat-transfer CFD model of the storage tank and its highly viscous contents. The representation retained the tank walls, heater elements, inlet and outlet flows, insulation and the zones where natural or mixed convection controlled temperature uniformity. Boundary and operating conditions covered continuous operation, alternative heater locations and power distributions, external heat losses, ambient wind and representative fluid properties, with material, fluid and equipment properties assigned from the available design information. Resolution was concentrated in regions where steep velocity, thermal, concentration or phase gradients were expected, while the overall model remained efficient enough to compare several credible configurations. This balance allowed system-level performance to be linked to the local mechanisms responsible for it.

The assessment compared heater-element layouts, power allocation and temperature-probe positions. Performance was judged using bulk and local temperature, hot and cold spots, circulation strength, heat loss, energy demand, residence behaviour and the representativeness of probe readings. Results were reviewed through quantitative summaries and engineering visualisations, such as contours, vectors, streamlines, sections and time histories, selected to suit the physics. Important assumptions and operating uncertainties were considered so that the recommendations relied on repeatable comparative trends rather than a single nominal case.

For Engie, the principal value was an efficient heating arrangement and monitoring strategy that reduced energy use while protecting process temperature. The final evidence linked each recommendation to the relevant model or process output, making it suitable for internal design reviews, supplier or contractor discussions and, where applicable, planning, safety or regulatory dialogue. The work also created a reusable baseline that can be updated as geometry, operating data or test results become available, reducing the cost and risk of later design iterations.