Case Examples
Applications of Granuleworks
Mixing
Rotary mixer, high-speed mixer, screw mixer, ribbon mixer, V blender, etc.
Conveying
Merging ducts, flight conveyors, vibrating conveyors, screw conveyors, etc.
Storage
Storage and segregation phenomena in a hopper, etc.
Filling
Filling phenomenon in a mold, etc.
Heat Transfer
Dryer with heating tubes, etc.
Kneading and Dispersion of Powders and Fluids *
Paddle kneader, etc.
Powdered Fluidized Bed
Simulation of powdered fluidized bed
- Coupled simulation by Granuleworks and Particleworks
Mixing
High Speed Mixer 1
Simulating the mixing process in which the fine powder with cohesiveness to be mixed uniformly. The tendency of the aggregates to be unraveled is captured by the agitator (horizontal blade) that promotes convective/diffusive mixing and the chopper (vertical blade) that promotes shear mixing.
* The right image shows the aggregates only.
Ribbon Mixer
Mixing simulation of a ribbon mixer, which is generally used for smooth fluid-like powder mixing without adhesion or cohesiveness. The simulation result explicitly shows the tendency of evenly mixed condition by convection.
Screw Mixer
Here is a simulation of black and white particles being mixed by a screw with two different directions of rotation.
Rotary-type Mixer 1
Mixing simulation that mixes mildly without applying strong force to powder. The simulation result captures the tendency that the internal flight promotes mixing.
Rotary-type Mixer 2
Simulation of mixing two types of particles with different particle size. Compared with experiments for validation, it was confirmed that the simulation result (i.e. behavior of particles and the degree of mixing) matches with the experiment data with high accuracy.
V Blender
Mixing simulation that represents the behavior of mild mixing without applying strong force to powder.
Conveying
Pipe Junction Flow
Simulating the flow at a pipe junction with complex ducts that convey powder and granules.
Flight Conveyor
Simulating a flight-type conveyor widely used for conveying powder.
Vibrating Conveyor
Simulating fine particles moving up a path due to slight vibration.
Screw Conveyor
Simulating the conveying of sticky powder after dehydration of slurry. Although the twin screw cuts out the powder, the simulation indicates that the powder is accumulated in the duct below and will eventually block it up.
Storage
Granular Flow through a Hopper
Simulation to evaluate the mass flow in the powder storage tank. The powder is colored in the form of stripes for visual representation. The simulation result indicates the right funnel has a uniform flow due to the rectifying cone inside, when the left one has a typical funnel flow.
Filling
Powder Filling Simulation into a Mold
Simulating a series of processes in which high stress is applied to powder to form it. The simulation result indicates the segregation, which is considered to affect the finished product quality.
Heat Transfer
Dryer with Heating Tubes
Simulation of heating powder. It represents how the temperature of the powder that contacts the heat source (i.e. the heating pipes placed inside the cylindrical container) rises due to heat transfer.
Kneading and Dispersion of Powders and Fluids
[Coupled simulation by Granuleworks and Particleworks]
Paddle Kneader
Here is a process of moisture control of powder using a paddle kneader. High-viscosity liquid is added while the powder is stirred, and it is shown how the liquid is evenly mixed with the powder. Dispersion of the liquid into the powder is a difficult operation, but the result of this simulation also shows that the liquid does not disperse sufficiently, resulting in adhesion of the liquid to the wall.
Above：Evaluating thermal distribution, fluid distribution, mixing index, etc.
Below：CG rendering based on the simulation result
Powdered Fluidized Bed
Simulation of powdered fluidized bed
Simulating powder fluidized beds, which are widely used in granulation, coating, reaction, and heat treatment processes.
We are revealing the existence of flow defects that adversely affect product quality, by using coupled DEM and FVM simulations to visualize and evaluate the flow conditions in the equipment.
Simulation of Various Phenomena Using DEM
Analysis of fire prevention equipment for historical buildings
A fire prevention system called a “drencher” extinguishes flying fire debris from nearby wildfires and fires in adjacent buildings, and the flying water droplets prevent the spread of fire in cultural property structures. The spraying water is modeled by Particleworks, and the flying fire debris by Granuleworks.