Simulation History: Lagrangian DEM on an Auger

This tutorial demonstrates Simcenter STAR-CCM+ simulation histories with Lagrangian DEM, using an auger that moves biomass pellets of different sizes.

With simulation history and animation you examine the movement of the pellets throughout the simulation. You also use data focus to assess the pellet movement further.

Simulation histories provide two major benefits for working with solution data. You can save considerable disk space by choosing to export solution data only from a selected source, such as boundary surfaces. In post-processing, you can quickly navigate between stored time-steps.

Data focus tools help you locate portions of data that require closer examination. In this tutorial, you use data focus to locate pellets of certain sizes.

Simulating this movement answers some useful engineering questions: How fast do the pellets move through this auger? Equally important, do the different sizes stay mixed? If not, and one size emerges first, then that size is packaged separately from the other size, resulting in discrepancies in quality.

The objects in this simulation consist of the following specifications:

  • Blade length (approx.): 2 m
  • Blade diameter (approx.): 0.2 m
  • Blade rotation rate: 400 rpm
  • Pellet sizes (cylinder height and radius): Variable calculations, using global parameters and injector values