DIGITAL INNOVATION | SIMULATION
Right: SC Consultants developed XimeX-ASAP to quantify efficiency of specific mixers
different software models. This includes highly generic CFD (Computational Fluids Dynam- ics) software, where the market is for specific applications aimed at simulation of a dedicated installation or piece of equipment.”
Specifically plastics For applications in the plastics industry, he says this means users are looking for a numerical solution aimed at simulation of their own specific mixers or extrud- ers. “In order to meet these requirements, SC Consultants has developed the XimeX-ASAP (Adjusted Software for Advanced Process) applica- tion software. ASAP is designed for a single application fully dedicated to one piece of equip- ment, with pre-defined dimensions, geometry and tools. This way, the engineer only focuses on the material application rather than numerical layers of code. Such an approach brings greater flexibility and helps save time in the process analysis.” Users also gain from the shift from local to cloud computing, according to Ratte. “Numerical simulation also tends to be more
flexible and mobile within the cloud computational environment. Hardware, software and licences are dematerialised in the cloud, meaning that they are accessible from anywhere,” he says. However, the move to the cloud does not come without its own specific demands on simulation software developers and users. “Cloud computa- tion is a real challenge as it requires access to more
sophisticated tools for compa- nies, while ensuring ease of use and making them accessible for daily use. This market request underlines the growing need for simulation expertise,” says Ratte. Requests from industrial
users for process simulation
software can also be highly specific, according to David. “For example, recycling plastics often results in complex transformation of materials,” he explains. “The need to
simulate reactive extrusion or the need to include other specific pieces of equipment, such as screen packs, filters and particular OEM elements, are also new options to be considered and integrated into numerical models.” David says that materials with complex behav- iour and formulations are moving the same way. He says new models required to simulate material and mixing laws are always based on developments needed to answer requests from industry, such as the requirement to model more technical materials with increasingly complex compositions contain- ing, for example, natural or mineral fibres, liquid additives or fillers at high addition ratios. “SC Consultants individually analyses all these
requirements and progressively integrates them into our simulation software,” he says. “For exam- ple, new analytical laws are developed on demand for describing the behaviour of complex materials and blends.”
Mixing capabilities
David says the company is working continually to improve the methodology in its software to introduce greater accuracy with regard to mixing equipment capabilities. “This is particularly the case with XimeX-ASAP [Adjusted Software for Advanced Process], where we can couple unsta- tionary flow with particle tracking to quantify the efficiency of a given mixer — batch, planetary, continuous or static. Simulation software are definitely valuable tools that can speed up process set up and optimisation, while permitting users to reach the right balance between productivity and final product quality,” he says. In addition to XimeX-ASAP, SC Consultants also
Above: The ability to focus only on the material application in XimeXASAP rather than numerical layers of code means greater simulation flexibility and time savings
40 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2020
offers the Ludovic and XimeX-TSE simulation software, which are dedicated to the co-rotating twin screw extrusion (TSE) process. Ludovic software handles all the twin screw extrusion process parameters for a simulation, including
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IMAGE: SC CONSULTANTS
IMAGE: SC CONSULTANTS
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