|
For more than 25 years, Itasca has established the foundations of discrete element modeling and has developed the two leading software products in this field. PFC3D/PFC2D are used to simulate the flow of spherical or clumped particles; 3DEC is used predict the mechanical behavior of a large number of deformable and discrete polyhedral blocks. This development has been paralleled by a growth in Itasca's reputation as a dependable provider of accurate, innovative consulting services and software tools to clients in the pharmaceutical, chemical, materials processing, oil & gas production, and agricultural engineering industries.
Today, the world's prominent industrial companies invest in engineering simulation as a key strategy to compete in a global business environment. They engage Itasca to solve their engineering challenges, particularly with regard to their need for complex numerical modeling and analysis. Itasca's consulting services and software deliver the flexibility customers need, along with training and the most comprehensive set of documentation and educational materials in the industry.
In recent years, chemical processing companies have faced high costs of raw materials, over-capacity, and stringent regulatory requirements. Improving efficiency and optimizing processes have become priorities. Use of experimentation and, increasingly, engineering simulation have made the detailed understanding of process equipment operations possible. Urgent needs for sustainability, green engineering, innovative new materials, plant and product safety, product quality, and new process development have created great opportunities for designers and process engineers to help transform the chemical process industry to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
|
|
Understanding equipment performance and optimizing processes in the context of the entire plant operation is at the heart of process engineering. The ability to design unit processes and equipment to mix, separate, heat, mill, coat, react, store, package, move or control significantly impacts the quality, process yield and business viability of the final product. Itasca's expertise enables process engineers and equipment designers to understand the mechanical, structural, thermal, and fluid dynamic behavior of their equipment. As a result, engineers gain insight with a higher degree of fidelity for designing new products, predicting wear and reducing downtime, troubleshooting, and increasing capacity.
|
|
Improvements and changes to the operation of process equipment can be costly. For example, for off-design conditions, engineers can understand the process impact and evaluate return on investment (ROI) earlier in the design process with a higher degree of confidence. It is also possible to expand the life of equipment, reduce maintenance costs and delay shut downs by better understanding equipment wear, heat, erosion, power consumption and performance-related effects. Companies seeking to innovate in these areas use software tools and expertise from Itasca. The applications cover a broad range of engineering design and operation cycles including initial equipment design, performance improvements, throughput increases, scale up or scale down, and assistance with meeting regulatory requirements.
|
|
Process and chemical engineering applications cover a broad range of applications involving complex geometries and physics that can involve: particle mechanics, fluid flow, rotating equipment, fluid-particle interaction, milling, compaction, granulation (breaking of bonds), segregation, agglomeration (bond formation), packing, mixing, drag and buoyancy in the presence of a liquid phase, particulate and population balance, and other processes. These kinds of complex phenomena are precisely the kinds of problem Itasca's DEM solution software (PFC3D/PFC2D and 3DEC) were designed to solve.
|
|
