COMSOL

COMSOL releases Version 6.0 and introduces Model Manager and Uncertainty Quantification module

December 15, 2021 By WTWH Editor Leave a Comment

COMSOL, the leading provider of software solutions for multiphysics modeling has released version 6.0 of the COMSOL Multiphysics software. The release introduces the Model Manager, a new workspace in COMSOL Multiphysics that enables efficient simulation data management and collaboration. Also introduced with version 6.0 is the Uncertainty Quantification Module. This is a new add-on product to COMSOL Multiphysics that uses probabilistic design methods to quantify uncertainty in analyses and predetermined safety margins. Version 6.0 further brings major improvements to the solvers with performance speedup by a factor of 10 in engineering areas such as heat radiation and models subjected to nonlinear structural material behavior. With version 6.0, COMSOL promises to boost the productivity of engineers, their teams, and their enterprises in the areas of product design, process development, and manufacturing.

The Model Manager Provides Structure, Version Control, and Effective Collaboration
The Model Manager is fully integrated in the COMSOL Multiphysics user interface and is designed for simulation data management, version control, tracking changes, and advanced search functionality within models, CAD data, and other related external files. It provides a structured workspace where colleagues and teams can collaborate within their organizations and even with external parties, putting the focus on effective product design and innovation. Efficient data storage that keeps only changes made to previous versions and the easy setup of branches and merging them for parallel model development, also contribute to an organization’s efficient modeling and simulation workflow.

The COMSOL Model Manager provides version control and common storage for efficient collaboration in simulation projects.

“The Model Manager expands on COMSOL’s cutting-edge multiphysics modeling capabilities and our fast-paced strategy of placing COMSOL Multiphysics as the primary tool for democratizing simulation in the CAE market,” says Svante Littmarck, CEO and president of COMSOL. “We now complement our revolutionary Model Builder and Application Builder, for developing multiphysics models and simulation apps, with the Model Manager for model development and simulation data management. Together, this functionality will facilitate collaboration within engineering groups, across departments and enterprises, and even between countries. This will inevitably lead to better process and manufacturing designs as all competencies of an organization are harnessed effectively.”

To allow full collaboration across enterprises, COMSOL’s floating network license type allows users from anywhere within and outside of the license holder’s organization to access a centralized Model Manager installation. This also includes collaborators across geographical and territorial borders. Additionally, a local Model Manager installation is included with all licenses — even those that are not floating-network based — to provide a platform for building an individual user’s file storage structure, while updating versions and tracking changes of their modeling projects.

Sensitivity and reliability analyses are enhanced through the Uncertainty Quantification Module
While the Model Manager expands COMSOL’s footprint within the world of engineering design and development, the Uncertainty Quantification Module makes it possible to produce more complete, accurate, and useful multiphysics models. Based on probabilistic design methods, users can, with reliability analysis, look at questions such as how manufacturing tolerances affect the intended performance of the final product, to prevent over- and under-designs of devices and processes. Screening and sensitivity analyses reveal which parameters are more important than others, which can be used to efficiently test the validity of basic model assumptions, for example, and uncertainty propagation is used to assign probability distributions to the output quantities of interest.

The Uncertainty Quantification Module reveals how variability of input parameters affects the simulation results.

“A strength of the Uncertainty Quantification Module is that it can be applied to any physical simulation covered by COMSOL Multiphysics,” says Jacob Yström, technology director of numerical analysis at COMSOL. “You are not limited to a certain field or application area, such as structural analysis, but can perform the same types of uncertainty analyses on applications based on acoustics, fluid flow, electromagnetics, and so on, and even when these phenomena are coupled. This makes this product wide-ranging and very powerful.”

COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.0 improves performance and expands modeling capabilities
COMSOL Multiphysics version 6.0 includes important updates to the software platform and add-on products. This includes performance improvements through speedup and memory consumption by a factor of 10 for certain engineering applications. Feature enhancements include more efficient electromagnetic simulation of PCB designs and a new realm for acoustics modeling: flow-induced noise.

COMSOL version 6.0 delivers performance improvements and simplifies simulation of many important applications, such as printed circuit board (PCB) design (pictured).

Details about new features and improvements across the entire product suite are available in the COMSOL Multiphysics Version 6.0 Release Highlights.

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

Using simulation to ensure multimode pacemakers synchronize communications

December 15, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

By Dixita Patel

Recent advances for pacemaker technology include improved electronics and smaller batteries, making the development of leadless cardiac pacemakers (LCPs) possible. An LCP is a self-contained (capsule-like) generator and electrode system that eliminates the need for pocket or transvenous leads that often cause malfunctions. The current LCPs on the market pace at a single location of the heart, but for patients who require more than single-chamber stimulation, a multinode LCP system (Figure 1) can be used. Multinode LCP systems require synchronization between all of the implanted devices to function properly. However, the standard communication techniques used may be unsuitable due to constraints in terms of power consumption and size.

To help make the system and communication more efficient, researchers at MicroPort CRM are using simulation to investigate these design challenges using galvanic intrabody communication (IBC). IBC provides a power-optimized solution to facilitate communication between devices, which in turn helps to synchronize multinode LCP systems.

Multinode LCP system with two implanted capsules. The heart figure has been modified and reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Inc., New York, New York.

Intrabody communication transceivers for LCP applications

Intrabody communication (IBC) is a near-field communication method that uses an electrode pair to send an impulse through body tissue to a second electrode pair that receives the signal. This method works with ultralow power, and no additional antennas are needed because the electrodes used for pacing also provide the electric field for the communication.

Mirko Maldari, an electronic engineer at MicroPort CRM, and his team proposed a new methodology to further characterize these types of communication channels. “With IBC, because electrodes are used to communicate [instead of coils and antennas], we can optimize both power consumption and size,” said Maldari.

In their research, an in vivo study was performed using a system that consisted of two capsules that were implanted in the right atrium and right ventricle of a heart shown in Figure 1. Further analyses involved the COMSOL Multiphysics software to measure the attenuation of the channel and estimate how much power is dissipated in the tissue.

Analyzing IBC pathloss with simulation

The team at MicroPort collaborated with Synopsys Inc., an electronic design automation company, using the Synopsys Simpleware software to develop a model of a human torso that would be importable into the COMSOL Multiphysics software (Figure 3). The model is based on a validated human phantom from IT’IS Foundation Zurich; more specifically, the “Duke” model, which represents a 34-year-old male.

The geometrical model was created to include organs, muscles, bones, soft tissue, and cartilage. After importing into COMSOL Multiphysics, an approximated version of the heart chambers was built to distinguish heart muscle from blood. Maldari said: “It was important for my application for these features to be included because they have different electrical properties.” The team then designed two identical LCP capsules in COMSOL Multiphysics to estimate the attenuation levels of the intracardiac channel.

Torso CAD model imported into COMSOL Multiphysics; cross-sectional view.

The capsules were studied at two different orientations, both at a channel distance of 9 cm. Simulations were performed with a quasistatic approach using the Electric Currents interface in the AC/DC Module, an add-on product to COMSOL Multiphysics, to calculate the channel attenuation in a frequency range between 40 KHz and 20 MHz. The results in Figure 4 show the positions of the right atrium (RA) capsule of the worst-case scenario (perpendicular) and the best-case scenario (parallel). The best-case scenario shows a higher differential voltage across the receiving dipole. The attenuation levels of both scenarios can be seen in Figure 5, where the difference is ~11 dB. From 40 kHz to 20 MHz, the attenuation decreases by ~5 dB for both cases. From the results, Maldari and his team were able to verify that relative position and orientation of the capsules strongly impacts the channel attenuation.

RA capsule positions for worst-case (left) and best-case (right) scenarios.

For MicroPort, it was important to estimate the attenuation levels before preparing the prototype. “As researchers and scientists, we try to reduce the amount of animal trials, and simulation has allowed that,” said Maldari. “It is a powerful tool to estimate the behavior of the signals within biological tissues before investigating them experimentally.” The use of simulation allowed the team to define accurate models for galvanic IBC communication and optimize transceivers for LCP systems.

Attenuation levels of the intracardiac channel for both scenarios.

Future plans for IBC

MicroPort’s future plans involve further studies, where the effect of certain input parameters — such as the electrode size and dipole lengths — on a more complete set of electric field parameters will be investigated. This would help them point out the attenuation difference between diastolic and systolic periods. As of now, the researchers are working on the design of an ultralow-power receiver for LCP synchronization purposes. The new receiver could potentially mark groundbreaking innovation for dual-chamber pacemakers.

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

Reference
Maldari, Mirko, et al. “Wide frequency characterization of Intra-Body Communication for Leadless Pacemakers”, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, vol. 67, no. 11, pp. 3223–3233, 2020.

Synopsys and Simpleware are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Synopsys, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. COMSOL Multiphysics is a registered trademark of COMSOL AB.

Announcing COMSOL Days 2021: 40+ Online Events on Multiphysics Simulation

March 4, 2021 By Mike Santora Leave a Comment

COMSOL is excited to announce COMSOL Days 2021. These 1-day virtual events feature live technical presentations, keynote talks from invited speakers, and panel discussions focused on using multiphysics modeling and simulation to accelerate product development and advance research. Parallel tracks cover the latest news in COMSOL Multiphysics and include sessions for attendees who are looking to understand how simulation, and the creation and deployment of specialized apps, can benefit their organization. In interactive Tech Cafés on specialized topics, COMSOL application engineers and technical product managers will share modeling best practices and field questions from COMSOL users and attendees on their simulation projects. COMSOL Day attendance is free of charge.

Jeanette Littmarck, sales director at COMSOL and project leader for COMSOL Days, says: “We have found that the online format is convenient and efficient for many, and we are really happy about the activity level at these events. Attendees are participating in discussions, and ask a lot of great questions. And according to attendee feedback, COMSOL Days are providing the great experience that we strive to provide.”

More than 40 online COMSOL Day events are planned for 2021 and cover a wide range of application areas, including:

Engineering education and research
MEMS
Batteries
Optics and photonics
Biomedical applications
Acoustics
Vehicle electrification
AC/DC
Heat transfer in material processing

A number of COMSOL Days cater to a geographic region, with guest speakers from the local simulation community. One example is COMSOL Day Canada, where COMSOL is teaming up with CMC Microsystems. CMC manages Canada’s National Design Network and makes the COMSOL software easily accessible to researchers in their network. Owain Jones, CAD manager at CMC and guest speaker at COMSOL Day Canada, said, “Cohosting this event is a great way for COMSOL and CMC to service the Canadian microsystems R&D community. Our members can connect with both CMC and COMSOL, ask questions, and learn about topics that are relevant to their work.”

Events that are open for registration are listed here: COMSOL Days 2021. The list of events will be updated throughout the year.

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

How to simulate multiple physical forces

December 15, 2020 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Multiphysics simulations are becoming more complex, and take place earlier in the design cycle

Jean Thilmany, Senior Editor

Using multiphysics simulation software in tandem with design keeps engineers from following hypotheses that lead to dead ends. Of course, that significantly cuts development time, especially for complex products on which many physical forces come together: for instance, solid-state cooking ovens and the sonar on unmanned, undersea drones.

If the examples seem oddly specific, it’s because engineers who develop both types of applications described how their teams use Comsol multiphysics software at the Comsol Conference held online in October. The analysis software simulates how multiple, real-time physical forces would affect design.

Because Lauren Lagua works for a sonar team primarily funded by research and development dollars, “We don’t have a lot of time to spend on design and implementation,” she says. Lagua is an acoustic engineer with The Northrop Grumman Undersea Systems group. As a mechanical designer and acoustic analyst, she integrates tests equipment for undersea sonar systems and payloads for unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs).

To make the most of funds, her team created a workflow for quick test-and-verify design. For transducers, their design method calls upon swift, but multiple rounds of prototyping and verifying. All the while, they must ensure the transducer can be rapidly manufactured. The transducers convert variants in pressure, brightness, or other physical qualities into an electrical signal.

Though Lagua’s team solves for electrical and acoustics tests early in the initial design stage, that doesn’t mean they’ve perfected design right off the bat. The process involves many design changes and modifications—or as Lagua puts it, “around and around we go.”

Of course, the models begin with design and CAD, but using Comsol for analysis in conjunction with design is the secret sauce that speeds the process, Lagua says. Because they simulate as they design, they get to the end result much faster than if they had to hand off the model to a dedicated analyst and await results.

“It allows us to quickly iterate on a design, to try out designs, to identify issues early on in the design phase and mitigate and fix them before they become bigger issues,” Lagua says.

“Say I’m building a transducer made of some type of material and I bond it to an electric substrate and see a bubble,” she says. “I can make a hypothesis about what failed. I then change the design, and test it with Comsol and compare it to our test events. We find issues with models and correct them quickly.”

“We’re able to design, prototype, test and verify a design sometimes in as little as a week,” she adds.

New materials and tank testing
Because it simulates how the material from which the object is made affects performance, the analysis software also helps engineers establish the material properties the transducer needs. They also use it to test prospective new materials, Lagua adds.

“We figure out if we have to change the design based on the prototype and maybe changing the materials is part of that,” she adds.

“The challenge is: materials vendors don’t always give you all their materials properties. And you need them,” Lagua says. “So, we use Comsol to model the materials.”

The researchers do this by plugging the materials properties they do have into the simulation and analysis software. They also find the materials they deem most similar to the one they are using and put those material properties in those as well.

“So, if I’m experimenting with a new polyurethane, it comes down to what we know about polyurethane in general. Then we look at the differences in data between the model and the test information and change and tweak the information we do have,” she says.

What is the test information she refers to?

Well, of course, the team needs real-world measurements to verify against and plug into the analysis software. These tests are also how they verify material properties against the information they have. They create model prototypes and study them, to study how that prototype would perform in the field.

Acoustical test events, as they’re called, take place at a specialized underseas testing facility that simulate open-water testing. The facility her team uses features a 50-foot-diameter, 300,0000-gallon tank lined with redwood for sound baffling. Onsite test and measurement equipment are placed on the prototype to gather immediate feedback and readings.

“It’s the closest an engineer gets to measuring how a device will act deep in the ocean—without actually taking the device deep in the ocean,” Lagua says.

“We take the results we get from the facility and bring them back into Comsol,” she says. “Then, with Comsol, you can run the same acoustic testing you do at an open-water tank,” she adds. “We have that information in our analysis software.

“Then we can and relate it back to our earlier test data and verify and tweak our model,” she adds. “We figure out if we have to change design or maybe change materials to optimize transducer performance.”

The engineers optimize transducer performance-based how that particular transducer’s end use.

“For example, we’ll optimize for acoustical performance: the highest level of sensitivity to capture the lowest amount of sound while having a large, broadband frequency coverage to hear over a very large range of frequencies,” Lagua says. “We’re really optimizing for multiple things in parallel.”

At the conference, Lagua shared one of the systems created through her group’s design iteration process: a µSAS (pronounced “micro-sas”) sonar to be affixed on UUVs. The micro-sas is small in size, weight, and power.

The U.S. Department of Defense is adapting Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, which function, in some ways, as a submarine without personnel aboard.

The interferometric synthetic aperture sonar produces high-quality, 3-D images, enables longer sorties, and higher area coverage rates for UUV missions, says Alan Lytle, vice president of undersea systems at Northrop Grumman. The sonar takes 2-D sas and 3-D bathymetric images.

The UUV vehicles carry six sonar systems, which can be preprogrammed for the needs of the mission, Lagua says.

Northrop Grumman Corp.’s announced in February itµSAS (pronounced “micro-sas”) will be integrated onto L3Harris Technologies’ Iver4 Unmanned Undersea Vehicle, pictured for a 12-month test period, as part of the Defense Innovation Unit’s Generation Small-Class UUV program.

“We have sonars on both sides of the vehicle so you can look at images from two different aspect ratios and interpret them in 3-D just as your eyes would,” she adds.

“Because of its very small scale we were constrained in size, weight and power for our system,” she says. “We wanted the best acoustics possible at the smallest scale while conserving as much energy as much as possible.”

The group tested their late prototypes by sending them down to take imagery of a ship that sank on the bay near their Maryland facility.

Engineers at Northrup Grumman used acoustics simulation technology to develop the µSAS sonar mounted on the L3Harris Technologies’ UUV.

“In the 3-D image you can see the ship is in a big trough and the front is sticking out of a hole,” Lagua points out. “You wouldn’t be able to see that in 2-D.”

While she did not say exactly what sonar technology her team worked on, in February, Northrup Grumman announced that the company’s µSAS interferometric synthetic aperture sonar will be integrated onto L3Harris Technologies’ Iver4 UUVs.

The Iver4 UUV weighs 200-pounds, is nine inches in diameter and 99-inches long. Integration of synthetic aperture sonar on UUV of this diameter represents a significant step forward for the operational capability of small-class vehicles, according to Lytle.

The next-gen microwave oven
Then we veer to quite a different use for simulation in the early (and late) design stages. Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Food Equipment Group uses Comsol to analyze and simulate new heating methods for their solid-state ovens. The ovens, intended for commercial use, can cook a variety of foods, all at the same time and their different temperatures, says Chris Hopper, radio frequency systems engineer at ITW. He also spoke at the Comsol conference.

Solid stage ovens differ from convection microwaves, which use the same magnetron technology developed for radar in World War II. A “regular” microwave oven uses the open-loop magnetron system to heat foods.

Microwave ovens use radio frequency technologies developed in World War II. ITW Food Technologies is working on solid state ovens that would be an upgrade to the microwave. (Photo source: ITW Food Equipment Group)

But magnetron-based systems have many limitations, including low power and phase control, short lifetime, and high-voltage power supplies, Hopper says.

On the other hand, RF solid-state cooking features a closed-loop feedback system that can adapt to various loads and measure the food’s properties at any time during the cooking process, Hopper says.

“With solid-state, you can vary the power, measure what goes into the cavity and is coming out, and you can teach the oven how to intelligently respond over time to the feedback it gets,” he says.

“A magnetron can last from 12 to 18 months, but with solid-state power, the lifetime can be amplified for many years,” Hopper adds. “And the performance doesn’t degrade over time.”

“But before you start building, you want to investigate basic physical phenomena because we’re talking about a metal box with multiple phenomena,” he says.

Hopper’s team uses Comsol to iterate on the design using LiveLink for MatLab. The software allows them to synchronize their model with Comsol Multiphyics and define geometry, run multiphysics simulations, and optimize the model accordingly. For instance, they use simulation to study their model’s heating patterns.

“We look at what the presence of the food changes in terms of interference, hot and cold spots, and other qualities,” he says. “How does changing the phase affect the food itself?

“We don’t need it to be exact,” Hopper adds. “We’ll look at the accuracy once we’ve established that the simulation represents real-life experiments accurately,” he says.

“The culmination of our work is to develop algorithms,” Hopper says. “We can study hundreds of combinations of different phases in different sources. We can look at the data behind this and test and train models mainly worthy of further development for an algorithm.

“With simulations, we can phase out what wouldn’t work for outcomes we’re interested in,” Hopper says. “It saves us a lot of time because we don’t go down dead ends for algorithm development that may not work out.”

To study each phase and frequency combination separately would take weeks using testing equipment in a lab, he adds.

The virtual simulations also cuts labor costs in an unusual way, as the engineers run fewer experiments with actual oven prototypes and the food they cook.

To make those simulations available to product specialists, who don’t need or want to see the fine print, the ITW engineers created an application from the Comsol data. Product specialists download it, view it, and offer feedback based on their own experience, Hopper says.

“We have a chef here who is responsible for bringing value to our customers,” Hopper says. “There are certain questions he wants answered and, through the app, he doesn’t want to try it out in the kitchen many times. “He can look at temperature, airspeed, time and determine the parameters of the food he can cook and how the food will change as the result of those things.

In the end, many companies are learning that multiphysics simulation can be as important as model creation itself, says Bjorn Sjodin, Comsol vice president of product marketing. He calls the trend “the democratization of simulation.”

“More engineers are using simulation,” he says. And he expects the trend to continue.

The capability to simplify complex analysis and simulation by making application expands the reach beyond engineers.

Soon, a sales representative may be demonstrating oven phase and frequency to a potential customer. After all, “there’s an app for that.”

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

COMSOL Multiphysics Version 5.6 to be released in Fall 2020

October 7, 2020 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

COMSOL, Inc., provider of software solutions for multiphysics modeling and application design, is offering a preview of the upcoming release of COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.6 at the COMSOL Conference 2020 North America, October 7–8. COMSOL 5.6, to be released in fall 2020, brings faster and more memory-efficient solvers, better CAD assembly handling, application layout templates, and a range of new graphics features including clip planes, realistic material rendering, and partial transparency. Four new products expand the modeling power of COMSOL Multiphysics for the simulation of fuel cells, electrolyzers, polymer flow, and control systems.

Clip planes, solver efficiency for multicore and cluster computations, and improved handling of CAD assemblies
Clip planes are one of several foundational upgrades to the COMSOL graphics rendering engine and enable easier selection of boundaries and domains inside of complex CAD models. Other graphics news in the new version include visualizations that are partly opaque and partly transparent; realistic material rendering of, for example, steel, glass, and water; and the ability to make imported images part of a visualization.

An electric motor simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.6 where a clip plane is used for easier access to the inside of the model for assigning material properties and loads.

The solution time has decreased by 30% or more for many types of simulations. The solvers are significantly more efficient with respect to computation time and memory usage for multicore and cluster computations. Handling of larger CAD assemblies has improved with more robust solid operations and easier detection of gaps and overlaps in assemblies.

Application templates and control knobs
New application templates, available in the Application Builder, which is integrated in COMSOL Multiphysics, provide standardized layouts that include input fields, buttons, ribbon tabs, and graphics windows with options for desktop, tablet, and smartphone layouts. A template wizard guides the user to create an organized user interface based on any COMSOL Multiphysics model. In the Application Builder, the suite of user interface elements, or form objects, has been extended with knobs that can be controlled by dragging and rotating with the mouse pointer or touch input.

An app for analyzing a truck-mounted crane with realistic material rendering and control knobs.

Introducing the Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module
The new Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module provides engineers with state-of-the-art modeling and simulation tools for hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers, along with general-purpose tools for realistic fluid flow and electrochemical simulations based on COMSOL’s multiphysics technology. Using the new module, engineers can include charge transport, electrode reactions, thermodynamics, gas-phase diffusion, porous media flow, and two-phase flow when analyzing and optimizing technology for hydrogen vehicles and energy storage.

Gas volume fraction in a polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolyzer analyzed with the new Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module.

Introducing the Polymer Flow Module
With the new Polymer Flow Module, modeling and simulation can be used to design and optimize processes involving non-Newtonian fluids, ensuring the quality of these fluids within the polymer, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, household, and fine chemicals industries. The new module can account for a multitude of multiphysics effects. Examples include when the properties of a fluid vary as a function of temperature and composition, to model curing and polymerization, or when a non-Newtonian fluid affects a mechanical structure, such as for a biological fluid moving through a peristaltic pump.

Model of a slot die coating with a shear thinning fluid. The injection speed and the speed of the die are very important in order to obtain a coating of uniform thickness.

Introducing LiveLink for Simulink
Control systems engineers can use the new LiveLink for Simulink product for co-simulation of COMSOL Multiphysics and Simulink from the MathWorks. LiveLink for Simulink makes it possible to insert a COMSOL Multiphysics block into a Simulink model for running nonlinear COMSOL Multiphysics simulations in the time domain driven by Simulink. This product is useful for automotive and aerospace industries, including battery simulations and digital twins.

Introducing the Liquid & Gas Properties Module
The new Liquid & Gas Properties Module is used to compute properties for gases, liquids, and mixtures such as density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and heat capacity as functions of composition, pressure, and temperature. Having high-quality fluid and fluid mixture properties allows for more realistic acoustics, CFD, chemical, and heat transfer simulations.

Faster and more memory-efficient solvers for a range of applications
Users working with large models having millions of degrees of freedom have seen great improvements in solver performance over the last few versions of COMSOL Multiphysics. In version 5.6, the general performance improvements give around a 50% decrease in assembly and solution time for midsized benchmark models. For performance on clusters, the finite element assembly and solution time has decreased by 30% for many types of analyses. Another improvement for users running on clusters includes an upgraded domain decomposition method that can now be used for a wider range of simulations. For acoustics simulations, a new boundary element method formulation enables analyses of an order of magnitude larger acoustic volumes. For CFD simulations, the solution time on clusters has decreased by about 30% using iterative solvers and about 50% using domain decomposition. A new eigenvalue solver called FEAST, well suited for parallel computations, has several important uses, including mode analysis for optical waveguides and laser cavities. In the Optimization Module, a new general-purpose, gradient-based solver called IPOPT has important applications in, for example, shape optimization.

Laminated iron cores, parasitic inductance, and ferroelectric materials
The material library included with the AC/DC Module has been extended to include 322 magnetic materials from Bomatec. The material data includes several types of permanent magnets, such as NdFeB, SmCo, and AlNiCo, with electromagnetic- and temperature-dependent properties. The AC/DC Module now provides specialized tools for the extraction of parasitic inductance with L-matrix computations, which is essential to printed circuit board design. For nonlinear magnetic analysis, laminated iron core losses in electric motors and transformers can now be accurately represented using a new set of nonlinear material models. A new option for resonance frequency computations makes this important functionality available in the AC/DC Module with functionality for coupled finite element and electrical circuits eigenfrequency computations. This enables computation of low to medium resonance frequencies of coils and other inductive devices. A new advanced ferroelectric material model for electrostatics makes it possible to analyze dielectric materials with polarization saturation and hysteresis, with applications for ferroelectric capacitors and energy harvesting devices.

Fast port sweeps and scattering
The RF Module and Wave Optics Module provide a new option for port sweeps, enabling faster computations of full S-parameters or transmission, and reflection coefficient matrices. This functionality can be applied to the analysis of passive 5G components such as microwave filters with a large number of ports. A new modeling tool for approximate asymptotic scattering allows for quick far-field and radar cross-section (RCS) analysis for convex-shaped objects. A new set of postprocessing tools makes it easier to visualize and analyze polarization, with important applications for a variety of periodic structures including metamaterials for optics and microwaves. The new version of the Ray Optics Module includes faster ray tracing and specialized tools for scattering from surfaces and within volumetric domains.

multiphysics model of a cascaded cavity filter operating in the millimeter-wave 5G band, including temperature changes and thermal stress. The visualization demonstrates the new functionality for partial transparency.

Transient contact, wear and crack modeling, and poroelasticity in composite shells
The mechanical contact functionality available in the Structural Mechanics Module and MEMS Module can now be used for simulating transient impact events. For users of the Structural Mechanics Module, contact analysis additionally features new functionality for analyzing mechanical wear with dynamic removal of material. Further news in the Structural Mechanics Module includes new tools for crack modeling, providing J-integral and stress intensity factor computations as well as crack propagation based on a phase-field method. Lower-dimensional elements can now be placed inside solids. Uses include the modeling of reinforcements for anchors, rebars, and wire meshes.

For fluid flow in porous structures, the pore pressure causes mechanical stresses and the volume changes may affect the flow in a strongly coupled fashion. In the Composite Materials Module, the functionality for analyzing such poroelastic effects has been expanded to include composite shells. Applications include the simulation of layered soil, paperboard, fiber-reinforced plastic, laminated plates, and sandwich panels.

The suite of nonlinear multiphysics material models in the MEMS Module now includes ferroelectric elasticity, which can be used for modeling nonlinear effects in piezoelectric materials such as hysteresis and polarization saturation. This functionality is also available by combining the AC/DC Module with either the Structural Mechanics Module or the Acoustics Module.

A transient contact simulation of striking a golf ball with an iron.

Nonlinear acoustics, mechanical ports, and improved room acoustics analysis
With the addition of nonlinear acoustics capabilities, users of the Acoustics Module can simulate high-intensity focused ultrasound for use in non-invasive therapeutic medical applications as well as ultrasound imaging. The new version also allows for analysis of sound distortion in mobile device loudspeakers that may be caused by nonlinear thermoviscous effects. New mechanical port conditions, available in the Structural Mechanics Module, Acoustics Module, and MEMS Module, make it easier to analyze vibration paths and mechanical feedback in applications having propagation of ultrasonic elastic waves, such as ultrasonic sensing and nondestructive evaluation.

Engineers working with improving the sound quality of rooms and concert halls will appreciate the new room acoustics metrics available in the Acoustics Module, including reverberation time, definition, and clarity based on ray acoustics simulations. In addition, the new version provides faster impulse response for ray acoustics. A new boundary element method formulation enables analyses of an order of magnitude larger acoustic volumes with applications within, for example, sonar research and development.

Submarine target strength visualization using the new boundary element method (BEM) formulation suitable for large simulations. The scattered field sound pressure level is here computed for 1.5 kHz in water 100 m from the submarine. In the figure, the acoustic wave, from the sonar ping, is incident on the submarine from the left.

Shallow water equations and directional surface properties for heat radiation
Researchers and engineers working with hydrological applications will benefit from the new option for simulating the shallow water equations now available in the CFD Module. The new functionality solves for water depth and momentum with an option to use a digital elevation map (DEM) to specify the seafloor topography. In all add-on products with support for porous media flow, new centralized handling of porous media properties gives users a much better user experience for multiphysics simulations of porous media. The Particle Tracing Module has new functionality for droplet evaporation, which is important for understanding the spread of contagions as well as a range of industrial processes. In the Heat Transfer Module, new functionality for surface-to-surface radiation enables defining surface properties that are sensitive to the direction of heat radiation. Applications include radiation simulations involving surfaces that have a texture or pattern that is reflecting and absorbing heat radiation differently in different directions; for example, the passive cooling of solar panels. A new modeling tool for phase change interfaces makes it possible to simulate freeze-drying processes.

Material Library for corrosion and automatic reaction balancing
The Corrosion Module now includes a material library with more than 270 instances of polarization data used to predict where there is risk for corrosion or hydrogen embrittlement due to hydrogen evolution in a structure. The Chemical Reaction Engineering Module features a new tool for automatic reaction balancing with stoichiometric coefficient calculations as well as three predefined thermodynamic systems. The predefined systems have a wide range of applications including dry air, moist air, and water-steam mixtures. In the Chemical Reaction Engineering Module, a new reactive pellet bed modeling tool enables multiscale modeling of pellet beds with macroscale mass transport in pores and microscale transport in spherical pellets. The new reactive pellet bed functionality supports a variety of diffusion models and arbitrary reaction kinetics with applications in, for example, catalytic converters in auto exhausts used to break down polluting gases such as nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Highlights in Version 5.6
• General updates
o Clip plane, box, sphere, and cylinder for easier selection inside complex CAD models
o Solution time decreased by 30% or more for many types of simulations
o Improved cluster performance and scalability
o New IPOPT optimization solver
o Templates for standardized application layouts for desktops, tablets, and smartphones
o Control knob form objects
o Realistic material rendering of plastics, metals, and organic materials
o Partial transparency in visualizations
• New products
o Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Module for accurate simulation of hydrogen fuel cells and water electrolyzers
o Polymer Flow Module for analyzing non-Newtonian fluids
o LiveLink for Simulink for co-simulation of COMSOL Multiphysics and Simulink
o Liquid & Gas Properties Module for realistic fluid and fluid mixture properties
• Electromagnetics
o Parasitic inductance computations with L-matrix extraction
o Material models for laminated iron cores used in motors and transformers
o Ferroelectric material model for electrostatics
o 322 magnetic materials from Bomatec
o Coupled RF, thermal, and stress analysis tutorial for 5G applications
o Faster ray tracing, scattering in domains and from surfaces for ray optics
• Structural mechanics
o Mechanical contact: transient contact and wear modeling
o Crack modeling with J-integral and stress intensity factor computations and phase-field-based damage simulation
o Poroelasticity in composite shells
o Embedded reinforcements for anchors, rebars, and wire meshes
o Automatic generation of joints for multibody dynamics
o Rigid body contact
o Active magnetic bearings for rotordynamics
o Ferroelectric elasticity including nonlinear piezoelectricity with hysteresis and polarization saturation
• Acoustics
o Nonlinear acoustics for high-intensity ultrasound
o Sound distortion in mobile device loudspeakers due to nonlinear thermoviscous effects
o Mechanical port conditions for analyzing vibration paths and mechanical feedback
o New boundary element method (BEM) formulation for large scattering volumes including sonar applications
o Room acoustics metrics including reverberation time, definition, and clarity using ray acoustics
o Faster impulse response for ray acoustics
o Waveform Audio File (.wav) export
• Fluid & heat
o Shallow water equations interface
o Faster and more memory-efficient CFD solving
o Droplet evaporation for particle tracing
o Directional surface properties for heat radiation
o Phase change interfaces
• Chemical & electrochemical
o Material library for corrosion
o Realistic fluid models for dry air, moist air, and steam
o Automatic reaction balancing
o Reactive pellet beds for concentrated solutions
• CAD Import Module, Design Module, and LiveLink products for CAD
o Easier detection of gaps and overlaps in assemblies
o More robust solid operations for imported CAD models and CAD assemblies
o Measuring dimensions and automatic parameter creation for the constraints and dimensions functionality
o Faster and more robust ECAD import

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

Online COMSOL Conference 2020 is announced for October 7-8

May 21, 2020 By Paul Heney Leave a Comment

COMSOL has announced that the COMSOL Conference 2020 North America will be held on October 7–8, 2020 in a virtual format. The annual Conference, a meeting focusing on advancing skills and furthering collaboration among engineers and scientists in the area of multiphysics simulation, will for the first time run online. Participants, from the comfort of their own workstations, will be able to experience event highlights, including:

• Invited speakers from industry and academia sharing their experiences using multiphysics modeling and simulation apps
• COMSOL keynotes featuring news and software product announcements
• User presentations showcasing research achievements and innovative design projects
• Panel discussions on simulation apps, heat transfer modeling, and electromagnetics simulation
• Tech Cafés, interactive sessions where software developers and technical product managers take modeling questions directly form COMSOL users
• Minicourses offering learning opportunities for any level of simulation expertise, from introductory to advanced
• Virtual exhibition and poster session

“With recent travel restrictions and social distancing in mind, moving the conference online this year is clearly the best option,” said Lauren Sansone, marketing and events director at COMSOL Inc. “The COMSOL Conference North America will be easy to join online, without travel time or time away from home. We believe that the online conference will be attractive to many, as it will also be easier to fit with a busy schedule and other obligations. As we will miss out on in-person meetings, we will be placing extra emphasis on providing interactive, small group sessions, and one-on-one discussions. An added benefit is that we will also have access to COMSOL’s global pool of engineers, as it will be equally easy for them to join the conversations, from anywhere.”

For event details and registration, please visit: COMSOL Conference 2020 North America.

Abstract Submission for Posters and Papers
The Program Committee for the COMSOL Conference 2020 North America is now inviting abstract submissions for posters and papers on simulation work and applications from users of COMSOL Multiphysics to present at the conference.

The papers and posters accepted for presentation will later be shared with the community through the open-access Technical Papers and Presentations database Technical Papers and Presentations database, with a global reach.

The abstract submission deadlines for the COMSOL Conference 2020 North America are: Early Bird submission by July 17th; Final Abstract submission by August 21st. For information and guidelines for abstract submission, please visit: Call for Papers and Posters.

The conference presentations have a broad scope, and the call for papers includes topics such as:

• AC/DC electromagnetics
• Acoustics and vibrations
• Batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical processes
• Bioscience and bioengineering
• Chemical reaction engineering
• Computational fluid dynamics
• Electromagnetic heating
• Geophysics and geomechanics
• Heat transfer and phase change
• MEMS and nanotechnology
• Metal Processing
• Microfluidics
• Multiphysics
• Optics, photonics, and semiconductors
• Optimization and inverse methods
• Particle tracing
• Piezoelectric devices
• Plasma physics
• Porous Media Flow
• RF and microwave engineering
• Simulation methods and teaching
• Structural mechanics and thermal stresses
• Transport phenomena

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

COMSOL launches Version 5.5 of COMSOL Multiphysics

November 15, 2019 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

COMSOL, a leading provider of software solutions for multiphysics modeling, simulation, and application design and deployment, announces the latest version of its COMSOL Multiphysics software. In version 5.5, the Design Module provides an entirely new sketching tool for easier creation and more versatile parametric control of geometry models. New and updated solvers speed up a range of simulations. Two new add-on products, the Porous Media Flow Module and the Metal Processing Module, further expand the product suite’s multiphysics modeling power.

Parametric sketching with dimensions
The Design Module provides a new sketching tool that makes it easy to assign dimensions and constraints to planar drawings for 2D models and 3D work planes. “We have carefully integrated the new dimensions and constraints tool in the Model Builder so that it becomes a natural part of the COMSOL Multiphysics workflow,” said Daniel Bertilsson, technology manager for mathematics and computer science at COMSOL. “The new tools for dimensions and constraints can be used together with model parameters in COMSOL Multiphysics to drive the simulation, whether for a single run, parametric sweep, or parametric optimization.”

Parametric optimization of fluid flow in a microvalve using the new sketching tool with dimensions and constraints capabilities available in the Design Module.

New solver technology for Acoustics Simulations
Ultrasound technology is becoming increasingly important in a range of applications spanning from process engineering and nondestructive testing to consumer electronics. New functionality based on the time-explicit discontinuous Galerkin method enables efficient multicore computations of ultrasound propagation in solids and fluids, including realistic materials featuring damping and anisotropy. The method also has low-frequency applications, such as in seismology. The included multiphysics capabilities can seamlessly combine linear elastic wave propagation in a solid and its transition to a fluid as an acoustic pressure wave, and back again. The new elastic wave functionality is available for users of the Structural Mechanics Module, MEMS Module, and Acoustics Module. The fluid-structure acoustics coupling is available in the Acoustics Module.

Sound pressure field in a car interior solved with the finite element method at 7 kHz using a specialized solver for wave propagation analysis.

For frequency-domain simulations, a specialized solver for wave propagation analysis makes it possible to handle higher frequencies (shorter wavelengths) using the finite element method. The new solver can be used to analyze enclosed structures such as that of a car cabin interior as well as other acoustics simulations.

Introducing the Metal Processing Module
The new Metal Processing Module makes metal phase transformation analysis accessible within the COMSOL Multiphysics environment for applications within welding, heat treatment, and metal additive manufacturing. “The Metal Processing Module makes it possible to predict deformations, stresses, and strains resulting from wanted or unwanted heat-driven phase changes in metals,” said Mats Danielsson, technical product manager at COMSOL. “The module can be combined with any of the other COMSOL products for virtually any kind of multiphysics analysis that includes metal phase change. We envision users combining this with, for example, the Heat Transfer Module for the influence of heat radiation, the Ac/dc Module for induction hardening, and the Nonlinear Structural Materials Module for highly predictive analysis of material behavior.”

Residual stresses in a spur gear after quenching, calculated using the Metal Processing Module.

Introducing the Porous Media Flow Module

The Porous Media Flow Module gives users within, for example, food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries a wide range of transport analysis capabilities for porous media. The new add-on product includes functionality for single- and multiphase flow in porous media, drying, and transport in fractures. The flow models cover linear and nonlinear flow in saturated and variably saturated media with special options for slow and fast porous media flows. The multiphysics simulation capabilities are extensive, with functionality that includes options for calculating effective thermal properties for multicomponent systems; poroelasticity; and transport of chemical species in solid, liquid, and gas phases.

Simulation of a packed bed latent heat storage tank, using the Porous Media Flow Module.

Simplified Shape and Topology Optimization with the Optimization Module
Users working with mechanical, acoustics, electromagnetics, heat, fluid, and chemical analysis have been able to perform shape and topology optimization in COMSOL Multiphysics for many years. The Optimization Module now offers simplified setup of shape optimization with new built-in features such as moving boundaries parameterized by polynomials and built-in support for shell thickness optimization. A new smoothing operation for topology optimization ensures higher-quality geometry outputs that can be used for additional analysis and additive manufacturing. COMSOL Multiphysics now has general support for import and export of the additive manufacturing formats PLY and 3MF, in addition to the STL format that is already available.

Shape optimization of a sheet metal bracket using the Optimization Module. The structure is subjected to a bending load resulting in ridges in the optimal design.

Nonlinear Shell Analysis, Pipe Mechanics, and Random Vibration Analysis
A wide range of nonlinear analysis options are now available for shells and composite shells, including plasticity, creep, viscoplasticity, viscoelasticity, hyperelasticity, and mechanical contact. The mechanical contact modeling functionality has been extended to support any combination of solids and shells, including solid-shell, solid-composite shell, and membrane-shell. Depending on the type of analysis, these improvements will be available to users of the Structural Mechanics Module, Nonlinear Structural Materials Module, and Composite Materials Module.

For users of the Structural Mechanics Module, a new user interface for pipe mechanics provides functionality to perform stress analysis of pipe systems. The new functionality can handle a variety of pipe cross sections and can include effects from external loads, internal pressure, axial drag forces, and temperature gradients through the pipe wall.

Users of the Structural Mechanics Module can now perform random vibration analysis to study the response to loads that are represented by their power spectral density (PSD).

This allows users to include loads that are random in nature, such as turbulent wind gusts or road-induced vibrations on a vehicle. The loads can be fully correlated, uncorrelated, or have a specific user-given correlation.

The Multibody Dynamics Module provides new functionality for analyzing rigid and elastic chain drives with automatic generation of the large number of links and joints needed for modeling chain drives.

Elastic chain drive analysis in the Multibody Dynamics Module. Colors and arrows show the velocity and velocity direction, respectively, in the chain and sprockets.

Compressible Euler Flow and Nonisothermal Large Eddy Simulations
Users of the CFD Module will get new interfaces for compressible Euler flow and nonisothermal large eddy simulations (LES). In addition, the flow interfaces for rotating machinery now support the level set and phase field methods as well as Euler–Euler and bubbly flow. The Heat Transfer Module comes with a new interface for lumped thermal systems, an equivalent circuit modeling approach for heat transfer simulations. Radiation in semitransparent (participating) media now supports multiple spectral bands, and a new open boundary formulation for convective flow reduces solution time by 30%.

Multiscale Wave and Ray Optics, Piezoelectric Shells, and PCB Ports
The Ray Optics Module can now be combined with the RF Module or Wave Optics Module for simultaneous full-wave and ray tracing simulations. This enables multiscale modeling, such as analyzing a waveguide beaming into a large room, where using a full-wave simulation would be computationally prohibitive. Combining the AC/DC Module and the Composite Materials Module, users can now analyze layered materials with both dielectric and piezoelectric layers in thin structures. In the RF Module, a set of new ports for vias and transmission lines makes setup much quicker and gives more control to the user for modeling of printed circuit boards.

Efficient Distribution of Standalone Applications
COMSOL Compiler enables you to create standalone applications based on COMSOL Multiphysics models with specialized user interfaces that have been built with the Application Builder. Compiled applications require only COMSOL Runtime — no COMSOL Multiphysics or COMSOL Server license is required. “Since the release of COMSOL Compiler last fall, we have seen great response from our Application Builder users with this new possibility of distributing their applications in standalone form,” said Daniel Ericsson, application product manager at COMSOL. The latest version of COMSOL Compiler has a new compile option for generating minimum-sized files for easier distribution. When the user launches an application for the first time, where the new compile option has been used, COMSOL Runtime is downloaded and installed, if needed, from COMSOL’s website. Only one instance of COMSOL Runtime is needed for applications using the same COMSOL version. COMSOL Runtime has a size of about 350 MB and an application file can be as small as a few MB.

The COMSOL Runtime installer for standalone applications created with the Application Builder and compiled with COMSOL Compiler.

Highlights in Version 5.5:

–New sketching tool with dimensions and constraints

–Fast linear elastic wave simulations

–New Metal Processing Module for welding, heat treatment, and metal additive manufacturing

–New Porous Media Flow Module for food, pharmaceutical, and biomedical industries

–Improved tools for shape and topology optimization for mechanical, acoustics, electromagnetics, heat, fluid, and chemical analysis

–Import and export of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing formats PLY and 3MF

–Editing tools for repair of STL, PLY, and 3MF files

–Structural analysis of nonlinear shells, pipe mechanics, random vibration, and chain drives

–Compressible Euler flow and nonisothermal large eddy simulation (LES)

–Rotating machinery with level set, phase field, Euler–Euler, and bubbly flow

–Lumped thermal system equivalent circuits

–Multiple spectral bands for radiation in participating media

–More efficient open boundary condition for convective heat transfer

–Use of thermodynamic database properties in any simulation type

–Combined full wave and ray optics simulations

–Piezoelectric and dielectric shells

–New PCB ports for vias and transmission lines

–Link images to Microsoft PowerPoint presentations

–Create your own add-ins for customizing the Model Builder workflow

–Minimal file size standalone applications with COMSOL Compiler

Availability
COMSOL Multiphysics, COMSOL Server, and COMSOL Compiler software products are supported on the following operating systems: Windows, Linux, and macOS. The Application Builder tool is supported in the Windows operating system.

To browse version 5.5 release highlights, visit: www.comsol.com/release/5.5

To download the latest version, visit: www.comsol.com/product-download

COMSOL