Ceramics-Silikáty 40 (1) 11-14 (1996)

SIMULATION OF GLASS PROCESSES WITH POLYFLOW, A FINITE ELEMENT PROGRAM

N. Vanandruel

Polyflow is a general Computational Fluid Dynamics finite element program which simulates the flow of Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, with a special emphasis on rheological complex liquids in industrial processes. A major objective of Polyflow is Computer Aided Processing: using the computer as a laboratory, the engineer understands, modifies, creates, tests and improves processes in which flow of viscous liquids plays a dominant role. The code is used for modeling a variety of processes: extrusion, fiber spinning, laminar mixing, coating, sedimentation, heat transfer, chemical reactions, flow through channels, thermoconvection and many others. Advanced computational methods have been implemented for calculating free surfaces and interfaces, which are typical of many processes. Polyflow is also used as a toolbox for developing new applications. The specificity of the numerical methods (finite element, direct solver), the original physical modeling of glass processes and the ability of solving a wide class of thermal, flow and deformation problems will be the main topics of this presentation.