Additional user stories can be found in the 2015 edition of COMSOL News. View it now in your browser.
Making Biofuel a Cost-Effective, Renewable Source of Energy
Peter Ciesielski, NREL, CO, USA
Pyrolysis is a pre-commercial thermochemical process that converts renewable, plant-based materials such as wood into liquid biofuels. To make pyrolysis a cost-effective method for biofuel conversion, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are using multiphysics simulation to better understand and optimize the process. Thus far, they have used COMSOL Multiphysics® to ...
Getting Touchy-Feely with Touchscreen Design
Peter Vavaroutsos, Andy Kiernan, Cypress Semiconductor, San Jose, CA
Every time we interact with a smartphone, MP3 device, or video screen in a car, we're relying on capacitive touchscreens to give us information, send messages, or play music. These screens consist of substrates, adhesives, transparent lenses, and indium-tin-oxide (ITO) electrodes that form the stack-ups used in this technology. Touchscreen design varies by application, so each stack-up is ...
The Thermal Management of Li-ion Battery Packs
Michele Gosso & Antonio Fiumara
Fiat Research Center, Orbassano, Italy
At the Fiat Research Center in Italy, Michele Gosso and Antonio Fiumara are working on the development of providing power for electric and hybrid vehicles. The team must combine individual lithium-ion battery pouch cells into battery packs to generate the 350V needed, while providing the packs with sufficient cooling. At the same time, they want to keep the packs as small and light as ...
Simulation-Led Strategy for Corrosion Prevention
S. Qidwai
USNRL, DC, USA
Corrosion is a widespread concern costing the US billions of dollars annually. For the Navy, specifically, it is the number one maintenance problem. Therefore, at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), researchers are developing a method based on multiphysics simulation that will aid material designers in producing corrosion-resistant materials. Their work aims to provide a better understanding of ...
Making Smart Materials Smarter with Multiphysics Simulation
J. Slaughter
ETREMA Products, IA, USA
Smart materials with magnetostrictive behavior are engineered and incorporated in high-precision devices by the designers and researchers at ETREMA Products, Inc. Terfenol-D, in particular, is a giant magnetostrictive material solely manufactured by ETREMA that exhibits the largest deformation of any alloy in response to an applied magnetic field and is integrated into the core of devices such ...
Developing a New Microreactor for Organic Synthesis Using Microwave Heating
W. Lee, K. Jensen
MIT, MA, USA
The chemical reactions used to generate solvents and certain pharmaceuticals rely on organic synthesis, a process of combining individual chemicals that can be accelerated through microwave heating. A microreactor system facilitates the direct, localized, and efficient temperature change necessary for successful synthesis. However, a uniform temperature distribution is crucial to the chemical ...
Battling Corrosion in Nuclear Waste Storage Facilities
G. Barbella, P. Geraldini
Sogin, Italy
Nuclear sites in Italy are being decommissioned, leaving questions about how to safely manage and store radioactive waste. Nuclear waste can be stored temporarily in steel drums encased in concrete, but environmental factors must be carefully controlled to prevent corrosion of the steel. It is difficult to constantly monitor the corrosion process, and the relative humidity in the storage area ...
Keeping Cool: SRON Develops Thermal Calibration System for Deep-Space Telescope
C. de Jonge
SRON, Netherlands
Deep-space telescopes require ultrasensitive detectors and calibration to pick up weak far-infrared signals. The SpicA Far-InfraRed Instrument (SAFARI), an infrared camera that will fly aboard the Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics (SPICA), has sensors that measure the far-infrared spectrum. The SAFARI system includes a radiation source, needed for calibration, that is so ...
Using Multiphysics Simulation to Prevent Building Damage
P. Sekki
Vahanen Group, Finland
In addition to surviving normal winters, a strong building must be able to survive the worst winters expected in a 50-year period. When moisture and contaminants enter concrete foundations, they create the risk of cracking or other structural damage once the soil or foundation freezes. Vahanen Group specializes in building services and performs quality and risk assessments to make sure that ...
Simulation Turns Up the Heat and Energy Efficiency at Whirlpool Corporation
N. Garcia-Polanco
Whirlpool Corporation, Italy
Engineers working on a joint research project between Whirlpool Corporation and the European initiative GREENKITCHEN project are using simulation to improve the energy efficiency of domestic ovens. Since only ten to twelve percent of the total energy expended by an oven is actually used to heat the food, the researchers had plenty to investigate. Using COMSOL Multiphysics® software and the Heat ...
