Fluid flow, Product development

designing a vacuum system using Lumped Element Modeling.

To design a vacuum system, one must decide where/how to place the required components, such as vacuum pumps, control valves, piping, vessels, pressure sensors and natural gas inlets. To optimize the design, it is important to understand how the placement and usage of these components affect the pressure in the system. In this project, a lumped-element model (LEM) was used to provide insight into the overall system behavior and interaction between components. Based on the predicted dynamic behavior of for example the pressures and mass flows in the system, we were able to optimize the placement of several components.

rapid modelling

our approach.

A LEM simplifies a system into a circuit consisting of coupled components which are linked through specific connections. Each component is simplified to a two-dimensional ‘black box’ with certain properties. For example, for a vacuum pump the performance curve can be included, based on the product specifications. LEM enables rapid modelling of complex systems which can combine multiple physics domains as well as control system technology. The impact of design choices can quickly be tested, so that optimizing the system performance can be done efficiently.

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Traditionally, the way to solve our problems is to break-up the problem into smaller parts and analyze each part individually. But what happens when you put the parts together and create a complex system with many interacting parts? How can you figure out the behavior of the system as a whole when given the properties of each part? This is what the Lumped Element Method (LEM) is particularly suitable for: analyzing and understanding the behavior of complex systems with many interacting parts. For example, a vacuum system with multiple pumps, valves and pressure controllers.

Demcon multiphysics.

Demcon multiphysics is an engineering agency with high-end expertise in the area of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, acoustics, electromagnetism and nuclear physics. We support clients from a wide variety of market sectors and help them achieve their goals in research and development with deep physical insights.

We combine fundamental physical knowledge from an analytical approach with Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) simulations tools from ANSYS, MATHWORKS, COMSOL, STAR-CCM+ and FLUKA to setup, execute, analyze and evaluate numerical simulations. The use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Finite Element Analysis (FEM / FEA), Lumped Element Modelling (LEM), Computational Electromagnetics (CEM) and Monte Carlo simulations enables us to make a virtual prototype of your design. With these techniques we can simulate the fluid and gas flows, energy exchange, heat and mass transfer, stresses, strains and vibrations in structures and the interaction of electromagnetic fields with other physical aspects like heat generation. Simulation-driven product development increases the development efficiency and reduces the product development time. Our services can therefore fully support you in the designing phase, from idea up to prototype, from prototype to final design.

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