Dem Solutions releases latest modelling software

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 27, 2009

Dem Solutions has released Edem 2.2, the latest version of its multi-purpose modelling software, which simulates and optimises bulk particle handling and processing operations.

This latest version includes a number of enhancements to help the user configure exactly the data they require for analysis, improving productivity and ultimately maximising the time spent solving engineering problems.

When Edem users routinely save all simulation data, there is no need to specify - in advance - which data is to be analysed.

However, as the software gives users the capability to run ever-larger simulations, the resulting file sizes have also increased, along with a need for an increased data storage capacity.

Edem 2.2 still features the option to save the full dataset for use as restore points but now includes the ability to selectively save subsets of the results data.

Selecting only those subsets required for analysis can substantially reduce the file size, according to the company.

This gives users the flexibility to store a greater number of simulations - even large-scale simulations - for a given storage capacity.

Those users who run Edem simulations along with other external data sources will now have the option to synchronise time in this latest version with their external time settings.

This is suitable for users who run simulations with pre-defined geometry dynamics, external dynamics coupling or field data linked to an external data source.

When saving an Edem 2.2 simulation deck, users can now reset the elapsed simulation time to zero - or any other value - synchronising the new deck with the desired reference start time.

All graphs produced from the results using the new simulation deck will read more easily, with axis labels generated from the user-specified time.

Edem users who need their simulations to replicate specific mass flow rates - or fill a volume with a given total mass - can better define and control those issues with the new Mass Generation Rate feature in this latest software version.

This feature, part of Edem's 'Particle Factory', will be valuable to users who design bulk solids transfer systems, particularly conveyor transfer points.

With the new Mass Generation Rate feature, Edem 2.2 users can specify initial conditions that match the most frequently simulated operating condition: mass of particles per unit time.

By choosing an appropriate initial particle velocity and defining the mass, users create the desired mass flow rate.

Then, as they run simulations, the Particle Factory will monitor both the total mass and the percentage of match to the desired mass distribution and target volume.

With Edem's existing virtual geometry capability, that target volume can be any shape or equipment geometry imported from computer-aided design (CAD).

Edem's existing post-processing tools allow users to spot-calculate the bulk material characteristics of specific particles during a simulation run by capturing them a 'bin' at any location in the simulation.

With version 2.2 of this software, the bin can be any shape (not just cubic) and can link to any piece of physical geometry - such as a moving excavator bucket or the rotating disc of a fertiliser spreader - gathering statistics over time.