EDEM API: Inter-Particle Spray Coating
Altair EmployeeOverview
Tablet coating in the pharmaceutical industry is an example of a process where you want to accurately predict the amount of coating each tablet will receive. This is especially true for functional coatings, which may contain a fast-acting active ingredient, or may be used as a barrier to prevent a drug underneath from being activated too early.
Using capabilities in the EDEM API and Custom Particle Properties, EDEM can track the amount of coating sprayed onto each tablet during the coating process. The same methods can be used in other coating processes such as asphalt production, confectionery manufacture and catalyst production.
The attached simulation is a demonstration using small ‘spray’ particles and larger tablets. When the spray contacts the tablet the spray is absorbed and removed from the simulation. A custom particle property called "Liquid Volume" is then increased based on the spray particle volume.
Note that this functionality is built in to EDEM 2022, please see the EDEM Help for spray coating model details if using the built in version (recommended for most cases).
This API version has the advantage that you can customise the interactions and spray behaviour for any given case, it is also a good example of managing the use of strings (e.g. name spray) in the GPU code.
Pre-Requisite
For information about compiling EDEM API Models please see:
https://community.altair.com/csm?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0037690
or the EDEM Help:
https://2022.help.altair.com/2022.2/EDEM/Programming_Guide.htm
More EDEM and EDEM API Tutorials can be found here:
https://community.altair.com/community?id=community_blog&sys_id=5e7dc459979de950e3b0361e6253afae
Usage/Installation Instructions
Example Files here - SprayCoating_v3_5_0.zip
To use:
The SprayCoating_v3_5_0.dll or .so should be placed in the same folder as the simulation ".dem" file
If running on CUDA GPU the SprayCoating_v3_5_0.cu file should also be placed in the same folder
Apply the SprayCoating model to the particle-particle and particle-geometry physics section of the Creator
You can also apply the model to the Particle Body Force, this will increase the volume of the target particles if applied, otherwise the volume will just be tracked but the particle size will not be increased.
A particle type named 'spray' must be defined in the EDEM Creator (note this is lower case, "spray" not "Spray").
Any contacts between spray-geometry will mean the spray particle gets deleted. Any contacts between spray-spray will result in no force, particles will pass through each other. Any contacts between spray-particle (any particle name/type) will result in increase in Liquid Volume property in the particle and deletion of the spray.