Particleworks

Particleworks: particle simulation software

Mesh-less simulation

Particleworks is a cutting-edge CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) software based on the innovative, mesh-less Moving Particle Simulation method (a Lagrangian approach) to solve Navier-Stokes equations.

Multi-phase and multi-physics simulations

The Moving Particle Simulation, Mesh-Less Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) method, is ideal to analyze multi-phase flows, like oil jets or water splash. Moreover, a thermal solver for fluid and solid temperature predictions as well as a Finite Volume Method for automatic air simulations is also integrated in the software.

Fast and easy setup for everyone

The mesh-less particle simulation streamlines directly from the CAD, handling intricate geometries and moving components. With its intuitive interface and swift simulation preparation, it facilitates widespread adoption, enabling engineers, even not-expert in numerical methods, to take advantage of digital models.

GPU-accelerated results

Moving Particle Simulation is easily parallelizable, making multi-GPU acceleration possible with a linear decrease of simulation times when the number of GPUs is increased.

Key Features

  • Mesh-less CFD to solve Navier-Stokes equations
  • From CAD to simulation in 1 day
  • Multi-physics capabilities: thermal and air solvers
  • Granular and powder materials
  • GPU-enabled acceleration
  • Experimentally validated in industrial applications
  • Couplings available with Ansys Workbench (Fluent, Mechanical), Romax, RecurDyn and many more
Simulation scalability analysis with Particleworks. NVIDIA GPU benchmark vs running on cores.
Simulation scalability analysis with Particleworks. NVIDIA GPU benchmark vs running on cores.

Multi-GPU acceleration

Particleworks solver can be parallelized on multi core and multi GPU hardware. Although it can run on CPU-based cores, acceleration with Graphic Cards, that leverage the high number of CUDA cores, is suggested.

One state-of-the-art GPU can perform as 100-500 CPU cores.

Moreover, Moving Particle Simulation takes advantage of multi-GPU compute, and increasing the number of GPU assigned to the simulation can reduce simulation times further.

High-resolution refinement

By defining high resolution regions, the user can specify areas of the simulation with a smaller particle size. In this way, simulation resolution can be adapted depending on the specific needs and details.

These regions can either be an expansion of a specific geometrical element or an user-defined volume.

By reducing the particle size only where needed (like small gaps between e-motor end-windings or in the meshing of gears), simulation times can be decreased and optimized.

Refinement of particle simulation software: simulation times with different multi-resolution regions.
Refinement of particle simulation software: simulation times with different multi-resolution regions.
Thermal simulation of e-motor with particle simulation software. Mesh-less approach for temperature prediction in end-windings and stator.
Thermal simulation of e-motor with particle simulation software. Mesh-less approach for temperature prediction in end-windings and stator.

Thermal Simulations

Thermal simulations are possible in Particleworks. Heat Transfer Coefficient maps and Heat Fluxes can be evaluated, both for the oil and air phase.

Furthermore, by enabling Conjugate Heat Transfer solver, the solid temperature can be monitored while applying different boundary conditions, i.e. HTC maps due to oil and air, heat sources and initial temperature profiles in the solid.

Air Simulations

Particleworks integrates a dedicated Finite Volume Method solver for air.

Based on an automatically handled Cartesian grid, it enables a 2-way coupling between the gas and the fluid phase. By separating the two solvers, Particleworks allows for different resolutions of the fluid (MPS) and gas (FVM) phases.

Moreover, for external aerodynamics, Lattice-Boltzmann method is also available in the Particleworks simulation suite allowing grid refinement around specific bodies.

Lattice-Boltrmann mesh-less solver is integrated in Particleworks for transient external vehicle analysis.
Lattice-Boltrmann mesh-less solver is integrated in Particleworks for transient external vehicle analysis.
Chocolate, snow, cement and other highly viscous and non-Newtonian simulation with particle software.
Chocolate, snow, cement and other highly viscous and non-Newtonian simulation with particle software.

Non-Newtonian fluids

Particleworks handles high viscous fluids and several non-Newtonian fluids, by allowing:

  • User-defined functions or tabulated viscosity (shear and temperature dependent)
  • Dedicated models for chocolate, snow and grease.

DEMO

FAQ

  1. What is particle simulation software?

    Particle simulation software Particleworks is a mesh-less approach to CFD that discretizes the fluid domain automatically with particles.

  2. What is Particleworks?

    Particleworks is a mesh-free CFD software utilizing the Moving Particle Simulation method. It excels in simulating liquid and multi-phase flows, offering a straightforward process for complex geometries with moving parts.

  3. What is Moving Particle Simulation?

    Particleworks is a mesh-free CFD software utilizing the Moving Particle Simulation method. It excels in simulating liquid and multi-phase flows, offering a straightforward process for complex geometries with moving parts.

  4. What are the differences between mesh-based and mesh-less CFD?

    Mesh-based CFD relies on a structured grid for fluid simulations, involving complex mesh generation and Eulerian methods. In contrast, mesh-less CFD, like Moving Particle Simulation (MPS), employs particles for fluid discretization, offering adaptability to complex geometries and Lagrangian tracking. Mesh-less CFD, being computationally efficient and suitable for simulations with moving parts, presents a streamlined approach for fluid dynamics compared to traditional mesh-based methods.

  5. What are examples of particle simulation?

    Particleworks is applied across automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, power generation, and the food and beverage (F&B) industry. Its main applications include oil splashing, lubrication, engine cooling, water interaction analysis, water turbines, and handling highly viscous flows.

  6. Can particle simulation predict temperatures?

    Particleworks excels in heat transfer simulations, with an integrated solver for conjugate heat transfer between fluids and solids. This eliminates the need for solid particle generation, making the prediction of fluid flow, heat transfer coefficient, and temperature distribution more efficient.

  7. What features are available in Particleworks?

    Particleworks has a dedicated Python API, enabling users to automate the entire simulation process. The interface includes features like scene comparison, object copying, periodic movements, task management, live plots, and multi-view options, enhancing automation, time savings, and user experience.

  8. What software can be coupled with Particleworks?

    Particleworks supports co-simulation via the functional mock-up interface, dynamically interacting with third-party software. Notable partnerships include co-simulation RecurDyn or Adams for wading simulations. Moreover, Particleworks is integrated in Ansys Workbench (Mechanical and Fluent) as well as with Romax, to easily streamline the simulation workflow.

  9. What are the differences between Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics and Moving Particle Simulation?

    Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) and Moving Particle Semi-implicit (MPS) are two particle methods used in fluid dynamics simulation. SPH is a method used for simulating the mechanics of continuum media. It is a meshfree Lagrangian method, and the resolution of the method can easily be adjusted. This method is used in various fields, like astrophysics, ballistics, volcanology, and oceanography. On the other hand, MPS is also a meshfree particle method. It was developed to simulate free-surface flows. The method is based on the idea of replacing the pressure terms in the Navier-Stokes equations with a semi-implicit form, which allows for larger time steps and therefore more efficient computation. Discover more...