Latest Posts
Thermometer Calibration: When Experimentation Falls Short
The International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) is the industry calibration standard for measuring temperatures throughout the world. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) works to establish and maintain the ITS-90 through experiments, most notably, thermometer calibration. To better understand and overcome the shortcomings of the experimental process, Jonathan Pearce, at the UK’s National Physics Laboratory, turned to simulation. His results yielded fascinating results about the microscopic behavior of the liquid-solid interface during the freezing process.
Exploring the Leidenfrost Effect
The Leidenfrost effect, also known as film boiling, occurs when a liquid comes into contact with a solid that is at a temperature well above the liquid’s boiling point. Upon contact, a layer of vapor forms between the liquid-solid interface, creating a barrier between the two. There are many examples of this phenomenon, ranging from something you may have seen in your kitchen (water “dancing” around in a pan) to things you shouldn’t try at home (dipping your hand into […]
Solutions to Linear Systems of Equations: Direct and Iterative Solvers
In this blog post we introduce the two classes of algorithms that are used in COMSOL to solve systems of linear equations that arise when solving any finite element problem. This information is relevant both for understanding the inner workings of the solver and for understanding how memory requirements grow with problem size.
Research on Microwave Heating and Chemical Applications
There were many interesting posters at this year’s COMSOL Conference in Boston. A couple that caught my eye involved microwave heating and chemical applications. One of them showcases the use of microwave irradiation to speed up chemical reactions. Another — one of the recipients of the Best Poster award — used simulations to optimize their microreactor design with respect to microwave propagation.
Learn about Modeling Vacuum Systems in COMSOL
Until recently, simulation had not been widely used by vacuum system designers because of an absence of commercial simulation tools. Last October, my colleague James Ransley held a webinar about how to model vacuum systems using COMSOL Multiphysics. The webinar was a great success, and it inspired us to produce a dedicated product for modeling vacuum applications: the Molecular Flow Module (new with version 4.3b). This year, on November 21st, James will be giving a webinar explaining the new features […]
COMSOL Conference 2013 Rotterdam Keynotes on Multiphysics Applications
The COMSOL Conference 2013 Rotterdam was well-attended and highly informative. The keynotes were the high point of the event, and they were excellent examples of multiphysics applications. The sophistication of the modeling work presented by Alwin Verschueren of Philips Research Laboratories in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and Holger Ernst and Christian Schröder of mieletec FH Bielefeld, Germany, was truly spectacular and kept all the attendees enthralled.
Photos from the COMSOL Conference 2013 Rotterdam
The COMSOL Conference 2013 Rotterdam attracted 418 multiphysics users from across Europe. It was the first time that our conference took place in the Netherlands and as a result, we saw a lot of new faces this year among the participants. I would like to thank everyone who attended the event for making it a wonderful experience and show you some impressions of the conference here on the blog.
Meshing Your Geometry: When to Use the Various Element Types
In a previous blog entry, we introduced meshing considerations for linear static problems. One of the key concepts there was the idea of mesh convergence — as you refine the mesh, the solution will become more accurate. In this post, we will delve deeper into how to choose an appropriate mesh to start your mesh convergence studies for linear static finite element problems.