15,461 research outputs found
Digital predictions of complex cylinder packed columns
A digital computational approach has been developed to simulate realistic structures of packed beds. The underlying principle of the method is digitisation of the particles and packing space, enabling the generation of realistic structures. Previous publications [Caulkin, R., Fairweather, M., Jia, X., Gopinathan, N., & Williams, R.A. (2006). An investigation of packed columns using a digital packing algorithm. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 30, 1178â1188; Caulkin, R., Ahmad, A., Fairweather, M., Jia, X., & Williams, R. A. (2007). An investigation of sphere packed shell-side columns using a digital packing algorithm. Computers & Chemical Engineering, 31, 1715â1724] have demonstrated the ability of the code in predicting the packing of spheres. For cylindrical particles, however, the original, random walk-based code proved less effective at predicting bed structure. In response to this, the algorithm has been modified to make use of collisions to guide particle movement in a way which does not sacrifice the advantage of simulation speed. Results of both the original and modified code are presented, with bulk and local voidage values compared with data derived by experimental methods. The results demonstrate that collisions and their impact on packing structure cannot be disregarded if realistic packing structures are to be obtained
Combined 3D thinning and greedy algorithm to approximate realistic particles with corrected mechanical properties
The shape of irregular particles has significant influence on micro- and
macro-scopic behavior of granular systems. This paper presents a combined 3D
thinning and greedy set-covering algorithm to approximate realistic particles
with a clump of overlapping spheres for discrete element method (DEM)
simulations. First, the particle medial surface (or surface skeleton), from
which all candidate (maximal inscribed) spheres can be generated, is computed
by the topological 3D thinning. Then, the clump generation procedure is
converted into a greedy set-covering (SCP) problem.
To correct the mass distribution due to highly overlapped spheres inside the
clump, linear programming (LP) is used to adjust the density of each component
sphere, such that the aggregate properties mass, center of mass and inertia
tensor are identical or close enough to the prototypical particle. In order to
find the optimal approximation accuracy (volume coverage: ratio of clump's
volume to the original particle's volume), particle flow of 3 different shapes
in a rotating drum are conducted. It was observed that the dynamic angle of
repose starts to converge for all particle shapes at 85% volume coverage
(spheres per clump < 30), which implies the possible optimal resolution to
capture the mechanical behavior of the system.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figure
A flexible architecture for modeling and simulation of diffusional association
Up to now, it is not possible to obtain analytical solutions for complex
molecular association processes (e.g. Molecule recognition in Signaling or
catalysis). Instead Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations are commonly used to
estimate the rate of diffusional association, e.g. to be later used in
mesoscopic simulations. Meanwhile a portfolio of diffusional association (DA)
methods have been developed that exploit BD.
However, DA methods do not clearly distinguish between modeling, simulation,
and experiment settings. This hampers to classify and compare the existing
methods with respect to, for instance model assumptions, simulation
approximations or specific optimization strategies for steering the computation
of trajectories.
To address this deficiency we propose FADA (Flexible Architecture for
Diffusional Association) - an architecture that allows the flexible definition
of the experiment comprising a formal description of the model in SpacePi,
different simulators, as well as validation and analysis methods. Based on the
NAM (Northrup-Allison-McCammon) method, which forms the basis of many existing
DA methods, we illustrate the structure and functioning of FADA. A discussion
of future validation experiments illuminates how the FADA can be exploited in
order to estimate reaction rates and how validation techniques may be applied
to validate additional features of the model
Is there a hidden hole in Type Ia supernova remnants?
In this paper we report on the bulk features of the hole carved by the
companion star in the material ejected during a Type Ia supernova explosion. In
particular we are interested in the long term evolution of the hole as well as
in its fingerprint in the geometry of the supernova remnant after several
centuries of evolution, which is a hot topic in current Type Iasupernovae
studies. We use an axisymmetric smoothed particle hydrodynamics code to
characterize the geometric properties of the supernova remnant resulting from
the interaction of this ejected material with the ambient medium. Our aim is to
use supernova remnant observations to constrain the single degenerate scenario
for Type Ia supernova progenitors. Our simulations show that the hole will
remain open during centuries, although its partial or total closure at later
times due to hydrodynamic instabilities is not excluded. Close to the edge of
the hole, the Rayleigh-Taylor instability grows faster, leading to plumes that
approach the edge of the forward shock. We also discuss other geometrical
properties of the simulations, like the evolution of the contact discontinuity.Comment: 48 pages, 17 figures; Accepted for publication in Ap
An adaptive hierarchical domain decomposition method for parallel contact dynamics simulations of granular materials
A fully parallel version of the contact dynamics (CD) method is presented in
this paper. For large enough systems, 100% efficiency has been demonstrated for
up to 256 processors using a hierarchical domain decomposition with dynamic
load balancing. The iterative scheme to calculate the contact forces is left
domain-wise sequential, with data exchange after each iteration step, which
ensures its stability. The number of additional iterations required for
convergence by the partially parallel updates at the domain boundaries becomes
negligible with increasing number of particles, which allows for an effective
parallelization. Compared to the sequential implementation, we found no
influence of the parallelization on simulation results.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, published in Journal of Computational Physics
(2011
Pion production from a critical QCD phase
A theoretical scheme which relates multiparticle states generated in
ultrarelativistic nuclear collisions to a QCD phase transition is considered in
the framework of the universality class provided by the 3-D Ising model. Two
different evolution scenarios for the QGP system are examined. The statistical
mechanics of the critical state is accounted for in terms of (critical) cluster
formation consistent with suitably cast effective action functionals, one for
each considered type of expansion. Fractal properties associated with these
clusters, characterizing the density fluctuations near the QCD critical point,
are determined. Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to generate events,
pertaining to the total system, which correspond to signals associated with
unconventional sources of pion production
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