news
MODELLING & ENGINEERING
Imaging software aids fracture study
A Norwegian Center of Excellence, Physics of Geological Processes (PGP), is working to obtain a quantitative understanding of the complex patterns and processes of the Earth. With a major initiative to understand the deformation of tight rocks, PGP has selected Avizo as its main 3D analysis and visualisation software.
A recent study shows how insight into hydrocarbon migration in source
rocks can be obtained by using sequential high-resolution synchrotron X-ray tomography. An immature shale sample from Green River Basin was heated, in situ, up to 400°C as 3D images were recorded. The main technical diffi culty was the numerical extraction of microcracks that have apertures in the 5 to 30 micrometer range (within the size range of individual grains) from a large 3D volume of X-ray data. Using the Avizo software, a methodology was developed to process the 3D data and image the cracks. This methodology is based on several levels of spatial fi ltering and automatic recognition of connected domains. The advanced image processing tools in Avizo allowed the 3D data to be segmented and quantitative analysis was then applied to obtain information about porosity evolution and geometrical characteristics of formed cracks.
RESEARCHERS EXPLORE POTENTIAL OF VIRTUAL NASAL SURGERY
Surgeons may be able to perform personalised nasal surgery using computer simulation techniques, according to researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin, USA. ‘With the availability of powerful bioengineering computer-aided design software, anatomically accurate three-dimensional (3D) computational models can now be generated from computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data,’ explained Dr Rhee. ‘Computational fl uid dynamics software can be used to analyse these models and calculate various anatomic and physiologic measures including nasal airfl ow, resistance, air conditioning, and wall shear stress.’
www.scientific-computing.com
The researchers evaluated whether virtual surgery performed on 3D nasal airway models can predict post-surgical parameters obtained by computational fl uid dynamics. The researchers used pre- and post-surgery CT scans of a patient undergoing septoplasty and right inferior turbinate reduction (ITR) to generate 3D models of the nasal airway. ‘Overall, the virtual surgery results are promising and demonstrate the potential of CFD techniques to predict post-surgical outcomes,’ the researchers reported. The fi ndings will appear in the September print issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Project team simulates extreme conditions in spacecraft
The Violet Satellite project team at Cornell University, USA, has selected MSC Software’s fi nite element analysis pre-and-post processor, Patran, to model and predict extreme component and environmental temperatures in the Violet Satellite spacecraft. The project is the fi rst operational agile nanosatellite. It uses eight Control Moment Gyroscopes (CMGs) to demonstrate high-agility altitude control and novel CMG steering laws. Integrated inside the satellite is a new and ground-breaking type of fl ight computer called the Maestro Processor. The project team utilises simulation methods to assess the
satellite’s survivability in an extra- terrestrial environment, and its viability as a pathfi nder to make scientifi c observations. Patran is essential in helping ensure that Violet would be durable enough to withstand the harsh conditions of outer space. A model of the structure of the Violet Satellite was imported into Patran to simulate the thermal distribution during the worst case scenario at both extremities, hot and cold. After successful analyses using Patran and Sinda, the advanced thermal analysis solver from MSC, the team has concluded that the Violet spacecraft will survive.
Simulation software speeds up oil drilling project
Cognity, a design consultancy based in Aberdeen, Scotland, has completed an offshore oil drilling project 75 per cent faster than conventional design methods would allow, by using simulation software from Ansys. The project involved a design for conductor casing – the pipe that is driven into the ground prior to drilling to prevent soft mud collapsing around a designated hole. To ensure success, Cognity had to overcome a number of design challenges; the biggest being that conductors must be positioned securely and accurately to maximise oil production.
The detailed engineering simulation enabled Cognity to
complete the design for the steerable conductor in just six months – a time frame months, or possibly years, less than would have been required using traditional design methods. Simulation removed the need for expensive physical prototypes during the concept design phase and reduced both project costs and duration.
WEB EXCLUSIVE NEWS
now online Industry slow to adopt computer-aided engineering
www.scientific-computing.com/news JUNE/JULY 2011 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52