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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
Discrete Element Method
The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating Discrete Element Method problems
Coarse Grain Particles: Fluidized Bed
Analyzing the Results
Create an animation of the simulation so that the results can be further analyzed.

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Tutorials
Tutorials show you how to use Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for various applications in a step-by-step format with recommendations for setup, initialization and steps of the solution process specific to the application. Macro and simulation files are available for download for a large proportion of cases.
- Using Tutorial Macros and Files
  Macros, input files, and final simulation files for a range of tutorials are provided as an optional download package on the Support Center website. These macros and final simulation files are provided as an aid to the written tutorials, so that you can check your final results against the downloaded files, or against a simulation that is built and run using the macros.
- Introduction
  Welcome to the Simcenter STAR-CCM+ introductory tutorial. In this tutorial, you explore the important concepts and workflow. Complete this tutorial before attempting any others.
- Foundation Tutorials
  The foundation tutorials showcase the major features of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ in a series of short tutorials.
- Geometry
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for creating and working with parts and 3D-CAD.
- Mesh
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for building CFD meshes.
- Incompressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for incompressible fluid flows as well as porosity and solution recording
- Compressible Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for compressible fluid flows as well as harmonic balance.
- Heat Transfer and Radiation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for heat transfer, radiation, and thermal comfort.
- Multiphase Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating multiphase fluid flow problems
- Discrete Element Method
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating Discrete Element Method problems
  - DEM Particles in a Conveyor
    The purpose of this tutorial is to provide a guide to setting up a simulation using the Discrete Element Method.
  - DEM Particle Settling
    This tutorial simulates a three-dimensional solid flow through a model blast furnace to predict the formation of the deadman region at the base of the furnace.
  - Cylindrical Particles in a Rotating Drum
    This tutorial simulates a large number of cylindrical-shaped tablets tumbling in a rotating drum and being sprayed with a protective coating.
  - Arbitrarily Shaped Particles: DEM Polyhedra
    This tutorial demonstrates how to compose and inject DEM particles of an arbitrary shape.
  - Meshfree DEM: Excavator
    For DEM simulations of particles that are not significantly impacted by the surrounding fluid, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allows you to model the particle behavior without requiring a volume mesh. This type of simulation is known as meshfree DEM.
  - Coarse Grain Particles: Fluidized Bed
    - Loading the Starting Simulation File
      You start this tutorial by loading a simulation file that contains the cylindrical reactor geometry, pre-defined mesh operations, regions and boundaries. The geometry and various other settings throughout the simulation are parameterized. The underlying parameters are already included on the starting simulation file.
    - Selecting the Physics Models and Defining the Gas Phase
      You model the unsteady two-way coupled flow of air and solid particles by using the Gas model with constant density together with the Discrete Element model, which is part of the Lagrangian Multiphase framework.
    - Defining the Coarse Grain Particles
      You use a Lagrangian phase to define the solid particles in the simulation. You use the Parcel Contact Coarse Grain particle shape model, which is well suited for fluidized bed applications, where accuracy of particle-fluid interactions is important. In this model, each simulated particle is a parcel that statistically represents multiple smaller identical particles. The model calculates fluid-particle interactions on a single representative particle and applies the result to all of the smaller particles in the parcel. The number of individual particles per coarse-grained parcel depends on the parcel and particle sizes that you specify for the injector later on.
    - Specifying Gas and Particle Phase Boundary Conditions
      Air enters the cylindrical reactor through the bottom boundary at an inlet velocity of 2.5 m/s, which is equivalent to a mass flow rate of 1.49 kg/s. The air leaves the reactor at the top through a pressure outlet boundary. Both of these flow boundaries are impermeable to the solid particles.
    - Defining the DEM Particle Phase Interactions
      You define the behaviour of the solid particles when they collide with each other, or when they hit the wall or phase impermeable boundaries. You use the Hertz-Mindlin model to model the contact effects in these situations. To consider inter-molecular attraction forces between particle surfaces, such as van der Waal or cohesion forces, you select the Linear Cohesion model.
    - Injecting the Coarse Grain Particles
      You create an injector to randomly inject particles into the reactor. The part selected for the injector input is the Injection Volume geometry part, created on the starting file. This restricts the injection to exclusively that region of the reactor. The injector injects parcels into the Injection Volume with a distribution close to the random packing of particles expected in a real reactor. The parcels are injected at a velocity of -0.1 m/s in the negative Z direction.
    - Visualizing the DEM Particles in Motion
      You create a visualization scene that displays the DEM particles colored with their velocity magnitude together with the velocity magnitude of air on a cross-section of the cylindrical reactor. To be able to create an animation of the fluidized bed, you set up a solution history file. Both the visualization scene and the solution history file have been created on the starting file for your convenienvce, but you are required to complete the setup.
    - Running the Simulation
      You run the transient simulation for a physical time of 4.0 s with a time step of 0.01 s. To stabilize the simulation, you ramp the CFL value of the coupled implicit solver linearly.
    - Analyzing the Results
      Create an animation of the simulation so that the results can be further analyzed.
  - Flexible Fiber Model: Lawnmower
- Motion
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various STAR-CCM+ features for simulating problems with moving geometries and meshes, dynamic fluid body interaction, and rigid body motion:
- Reacting Flow
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for simulating reacting flows such as combustion.
- Solid Stress
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for computing deformation, strain, and stresses in solid regions. They also show how such computations can be coupled to the fluid behavior in an analysis of fluid-structure interaction.
- Aeroacoustics
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for solving aeroacoustic simulations.
- Electromagnetism
  The following tutorials illustrate features for solving problems that involve electromagnetic fields.
- Electrochemistry
  The following tutorial demonstrates chemical reactions induced by an electrical current.
- Battery
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for setting up a battery model:
- Automation
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ automation and macro features.
- Design Exploration
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various features for running design exploration studies in Design Manager.
- Coupling with CAE Codes
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for coupling with CAE codes:
- Analysis Methods
  The tutorials in this set illustrate various Simcenter STAR-CCM+ features for analysing and visualizing simulation data.
- Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder
  The tutorials in this set illustrate features for simulating internal combustion engines in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ using the dedicated add-on Simcenter STAR-CCM+ In-cylinder.

Analyzing the Results

Create an animation of the simulation so that the results can be further analyzed.

To create the animation:

Open the DEM Scene scene in the Scene/Plot tab.
Select the Scalar Fluid node and set Representation to fluidizedBed_start.
Select the Scalar Particles node and set Representation to fluidizedBed_start.
Select the DEM Scene > Attributes > Annotations > Solution Time node and set Representation to fluidizedBed_start.
Create an animation of the particles:
1. Click (Write Movie) in the Animation toolbar.
2. In the Write animation dialog, set File Name to fluidizedBed.mp4.
3. Click Save.
  The file fluidizedBed.mp4 can be viewed in a standard media player.
  
  The animation shows that for the first 0.25 seconds, the particles are settling within the fluidized bed. From 0.25 seconds onward, the parcels of particles rise as the air enters the reactor and fluidizes the parcels. This is evident in the fluid-like movement of the particles from this point onwards; they move in wave like motions within the reactor. The particles move at a velocity close to that of the fluid, moving at a velocity range between 0.0 and 2.5 m/s.