University of Birmingham researchers are working with a leading international organisation to set the global standards for a scientific method that can simulate the effects of landslides, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions – and could significantly reduce the energy used by manufacturing industries.
Kit Windows-Yule and Leonard Nicusan from the School of Chemical Engineering have been engaged by ASTM International (formerly known as the American Society for Testing and Materials), which is proposing the first ever standards for the Discrete Element Method (DEM) – a powerful method that computes the motion and effect of large numbers of small particles.
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DEM is widely accepted as effective in predicting the behaviour of particulate or granular materials, which are in more than half of all manufactured products, including food, pharmaceuticals and raw materials for industry.
At first glance DEM seems esoteric, but according to the researchers, applying it to industrial process design could dramatically reduce energy consumption in manufacturing, which is vital to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
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Windows-Yule recently founded EvoPhase, a university venture that aims to redefine industrial process design by using advanced methods including DEM to improve efficiency, increase manufacturing outputs and reduce energy usage.
‘Just one particulate handling process – milling – accounts for four per cent of all global electricity use, he said. ‘Our recent work using DEM resulted in an energy saving of 46 per cent for one mill. If we could replicate this across all milling processes worldwide, we would save more than 200 million tonnes of CO2 per year.’
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DEM is used to simulate the movement of millions of particles. Although this work is computationally intensive, advances in computing power mean it can be readily applied in engineering or industrial design settings.
Currently the main limitation of DEM is choosing the right parameters (settings) for the simulation, to ensure the numerical models match reality. ASTM International has proposed a standardisation of these calibrations, in a move that could revolutionise industrial design.
‘Setting a new standard would help industry adopt a digital first approach to design. Relying less on physical experimentation would significantly reduce energy use and material waste,’ Windows-Yule said. ‘The standard would also help broaden and democratise use of DEM, making it more accessible to small enterprises, and allowing non-specialists to take on high-quality DEM-based R&D jobs that would otherwise be inaccessible to them.’