A vast number of engineering applications include not solely physics of a single domain but consist of several physical phenomena, and therefore, are referred to as multi-physics. As long as the phenomena considered are to be treated by either a continuous i.e. Eulerian or discrete i.e. Lagrangian approach, a homogeneous numerical solution concept may be employed to solve the problem. However, numerous challenges in engineering exist and evolve, that include a continuous and discrete phase simultaneously, and therefore, cannot be solved accurately by continuous or discrete approaches, only. Problems that involve both a continuous and a discrete phase are important in applications as diverse as pharmaceutical industry e.g. drug production, agriculture food and processing industry, mining, construction and agricultural machinery, metals manufacturing, energy production and systems biology. Some predominant examples are coffee, corn flakes, nuts, coal, sand, renewable fuels e.g. biomass for energy production and fertilizer. In particular, a discrete approach to determine both the dynamic (position and orientation) and thermodynamic (temperature and species) state of individual and discrete particles of an ensemble is not available to date. Similarly, the impact of particles on structures or on flow of gases or liquids is largely unexplored.
A large gap in the simulation environment exists for these coupled discrete-continuous phase applications, because the solution process is complex, and therefore, has still not been attempted in a rigorous approach. However, a new technique referred to as Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) is developed at the University of Luxembourg, that offers a significant advancement for coupled discrete and continuous numerical simulation concepts. A software refereed to as the Discrete Particle Method (DPM) developed by Prof. Peters determines both dynamic and thermodynamic state of all particles of the discrete phase. Rather than extending the Discrete Particle Method by continuous solution concepts of field problems such as structural analysis or fluid-dynamics, the main objective of the current proposal is:
Development of Advanced Multi-physics Simulation Technology (AMST) as a generic, extendible and versatile interface for coupling the Discrete Particle Method to field problems applicable under industrial standards
Xtended Discrete Element Method
The Luxembourg XDEM Research Centre dedicated to the Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) develops advanced simulation technology for multi-physics applications. The Extended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) is a novel and innovative numerical simulation technique that extends the dynamics of granular materials or particles as described through the classical discrete element method (DEM) by additional properties such as the thermodynamic state, stress/strain, or electromagnetic field for each particle.
For more information visit the XDEM web page.
The publication "Luxembourg participation in European research and innovation projects" is now available online. Consult it on the Luxinnovation and the Horizon 2020 website, where you can also download articles individually.