The XDEM Multi-physics and Multi-scale Simulation Technology: Review on DEM-CFD Coupling, Methodology and Engineering Applications

in Particuology (2019), 44

The XDEM multi-physics and multi-scale simulation platform roots in the Ex- tended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) and is being developed at the In- stitute of Computational Engineering at the University ... [more ▼]

The XDEM multi-physics and multi-scale simulation platform roots in the Ex- tended Discrete Element Method (XDEM) and is being developed at the In- stitute of Computational Engineering at the University of Luxembourg. The platform is an advanced multi- physics simulation technology that combines flexibility and versatility to establish the next generation of multi-physics and multi-scale simulation tools. For this purpose the simulation framework relies on coupling various predictive tools based on both an Eulerian and Lagrangian approach. Eulerian approaches represent the wide field of continuum models while the Lagrange approach is perfectly suited to characterise discrete phases. Thus, continuum models include classical simulation tools such as Computa- tional Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or Finite Element Analysis (FEA) while an ex- tended configuration of the classical Discrete Element Method (DEM) addresses the discrete e.g. particulate phase. Apart from predicting the trajectories of individual particles, XDEM extends the application to estimating the thermo- dynamic state of each particle by advanced and optimised algorithms. The thermodynamic state may include temperature and species distributions due to chemical reaction and external heat sources. Hence, coupling these extended features with either CFD or FEA opens up a wide range of 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. [less ▲]

XDEM study of burden distribution in iron ore pellet firing

in Ironmaking and Steelmaking (2022), 49(6), 615-625

In the current study, a pseudo-2D XDEM packed bed reactor model is used to assess burden distribution effects in the firing of magnetite iron ore pellets. The model couples heat, mass, and momentum ... [more ▼]

In the current study, a pseudo-2D XDEM packed bed reactor model is used to assess burden distribution effects in the firing of magnetite iron ore pellets. The model couples heat, mass, and momentum balances of the gas phase in each CFD cell to the relevant transport phenomena of each pellet. It was found that the model predictions in terms of temperature and final composition conform well with experimental measurements. Moreover, numerical results show that both of the tested methods, namely, physical (size-separated charge) and chemical (local addition of carbon) burden distributions can improve the thermal state of the firing bed. Furthermore, the results highlight that using size separated feed leads to homogeneity enhancement in final product quality; however, the local addition of carbon can severely deteriorate the quality. [less ▲]

XDEM: eXtended Discrete Element Method

Presentation (2015, June 16)

XDMF and ParaView: checkpointing format

Scientific Conference (2018, March 21)

Checkpointing, i.e. saving and reading results of finite element computation is crucial, especially for long-time running simulations where execution is interrupted and user would like to restart the ... [more ▼]

Checkpointing, i.e. saving and reading results of finite element computation is crucial, especially for long-time running simulations where execution is interrupted and user would like to restart the process from last saved time step. On the other hand, visualization of results in thid-party software such as ParaView is inevitable. In the previous DOLFIN versions (2017.1.0 and older) these two functionalities were strictly separated. Results could have been saved via HDF5File interface for later computations and/or stored in a format understood by ParaView - VTK’s .pvd (File interface) or XDMF (XDMFFile interface). This led to data redundancy and error-prone workflow. The problem essentially originated from incompatibilities between both libraries, DOLFIN and ParaView (VTK). DOLFIN’s internal representation of finite element function is based on vector of values of degrees of freedom (dofs) and their ordering within cells (dofmap). VTK’s representation of a function is given by it’s values at some points in cell, while ordering and geometric position of these points is fixed and standardised within VTK specification. For nodal (iso- and super-parametric) Lagrange finite elements (Pk , dPk ) both representations coincide up to an ordering. This allows to extend XDMF specification and introduce intermediate way of storing finite element function - intrinsic to both, ParaView and DOLFIN. The necessary work was done as a part of Google Summer of Code 2017 project Develop XDMF for- mat for visualisation and checkpointing, see https://github.com/michalhabera/gsoc-summary. New checkpointing functionality is exposed via write checkpoint() and read checkpoint() methods. [less ▲]

Xenophobia and Violence in Germany from 1990 to 2000. Paper presented at the International Society of Political Psychology.

Presentation (2002)

XFEM coupling techniques for landslide-fluid interaction

Scientific Conference (2011)

Selected topographies on earth are threatened by sudden landslides on natural or artificial hillsides. Dur- ing landslides natural granular materials exhibit phase transitions from solid-like to fluid ... [more ▼]

Selected topographies on earth are threatened by sudden landslides on natural or artificial hillsides. Dur- ing landslides natural granular materials exhibit phase transitions from solid-like to fluid-like behavior [1]. In order to describe such materials interacting with surrounding fluids a material formulation allow- ing a switch from solid- to fluid-like state is developed. The solid-like state of the granular is modeled as compressible elastic material in an eulerian framework, while the surrounding fluid is described by an incompressible newtonian fluid. Discretization of the balance equations is carried out with a stabilized space-time finite element method [2]. The domain of elastic material utilizes mixed-hybrid space-time elements while for the surrounding fluid standard velocity-pressure elements [3] are used. Interaction of both continua is described with an interface-coupled formulation where the level-set technique [4] is employed for the interface motion. The challenge of the introduced model is the coupling of fields with discontinuous state variables as well as fieldwise different state variables. Available coupling techniques in the context of the extended finite element method and based on localized mixed hybrid formulations [5] will be discussed and evaluated numerically by means of selected 2D examples. [less ▲]

XFEM with global enrichment for 3D cracks

Scientific Conference (2015, June 17)

We present an extended finite element method (XFEM) based on fixed area enrichment which 1) suppresses the difficulties associated with ill-conditioning, even for "large" enrichment radii; 2) requires 50 ... [more ▼]

We present an extended finite element method (XFEM) based on fixed area enrichment which 1) suppresses the difficulties associated with ill-conditioning, even for "large" enrichment radii; 2) requires 50 times fewer enriched degrees of freedom (for a typical mesh) as the standard XFEM with geometrical enrichment (for the same or better accuracy level); 3) increases the accuracy level of the stress intensity factors and leads to "smooth" stress intensity variations along the crack front. [less ▲]

XLME interpolants, a seamless bridge between XFEM and enriched meshless methods

in Computational Mechanics (2013)

In this paper, we develop a method based on local maximum entropy shape functions together with enrichment functions used in partition of unity methods to discretize problems in linear elastic fracture ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we develop a method based on local maximum entropy shape functions together with enrichment functions used in partition of unity methods to discretize problems in linear elastic fracture mechanics. We obtain improved accuracy relative to the standard extended finite element method at a comparable computational cost. In addition, we keep the advantages of the LME shape functions, such as smoothness and non-negativity. We show numerically that optimal convergence (same as in FEM) for energy norm and stress intensity factors can be obtained through the use of geometric (fixed area) enrichment with no special treatment of the nodes near the crack such as blending or shifting. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. [less ▲]

XPS Modeling of Immobilized Recombinant Angiogenin and Apoliprotein A1 on Biodegradable Nanofibers

in Nanomaterials (2020), 10(5), 879

The immobilization of viable proteins is an important step in engineering efficient scaffolds for regenerative medicine. For example, angiogenin, a vascular growth factor, can be considered a neurotrophic ... [more ▼]

The immobilization of viable proteins is an important step in engineering efficient scaffolds for regenerative medicine. For example, angiogenin, a vascular growth factor, can be considered a neurotrophic factor, influencing the neurogenesis, viability, and migration of neurons. Angiogenin shows an exceptional combination of angiogenic, neurotrophic, neuroprotective, antibacterial, and antioxidant activities. Therefore, this protein is a promising molecule that can be immobilized on carriers used for tissue engineering, particularly for diseases that are complicated by neurotrophic and vascular disorders. Another highly important and viable protein is apoliprotein A1. Nevertheless, the immobilization of these proteins onto promising biodegradable nanofibers has not been tested before. In this work, we carefully studied the immobilization of human recombinant angiogenin and apoliprotein A1 onto plasma-coated nanofibers. We developed a new methodology for the quantification of the protein density of these proteins using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and modeled the XPS data for angiogenin and apoliprotein A1 (Apo-A1). These findings were also confirmed by the analysis of immobilized Apo-A1 using fluorescent microscopy. The presented methodology was validated by the analysis of fibronectin on the surface of plasma-coated poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers. This methodology can be expanded for other proteins and it should help to quantify the density of proteins on surfaces using routine XPS data treatment. [less ▲]

Le XVIe siècle au miroir du temps présent: défis et difficultés

Speeches/Talks (2016)