Many different tools are available for counting particles. Choosing the optimal method depends on the application; specifically, whether you want to use the number of counted particles in equations or during postprocessing. The Particle Tracing interfaces in COMSOL Multiphysics feature three main particle counting options. While these approaches are versatile enough to compute quantities such as charge density and momentum flux, our focus here will be computing the number of particles on a set of domains or boundaries.

Charge exchange cells are often used as a way to obtain neutralized beams of energetic particles. In this blog post, we introduce a model of a simple charge exchange cell and analyze its neutralization efficiency.

Hematology analysis is an important step in medical diagnoses, often determining the treatment that a patient will receive. With a patient’s life on the line, it is vital that these analyses are accurate to the highest degree possible. Researchers at HORIBA Medical, a worldwide supplier of medical diagnostic equipment, turned to simulation to develop new methods for optimizing the accuracy of their hematology analysis devices. The resulting technique is currently used in some of their best-selling equipment.

Before conducting certain blood sample analyses, researchers need to separate the red blood cell particles from the blood plasma. Using lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology, red blood cell separation can be achieved via magnetophoresis (i.e., motion induced by magnetic fields). Since the magnetic permeability of the particles is different from the blood plasma, their trajectory can be controlled within the flow channel of the LOC device and then separated out from the fluid.

Last month, COMSOL Certified Consultant Veryst Engineering was featured in Software Tech Briefs, a special supplement to NASA Tech Briefs. Veryst is known to leverage multiphysics simulation software for analyzing LED lighting designs and other complex industrial problems. The project mentioned in the article focused on building a thermofluid-mechanical model of an LED light bulb in order to explore and optimize thermal management techniques within the bulb.

How can you use an electric field to control the movement of electrically neutral particles? This may sound impossible, but in this blog entry, we will see that the phenomenon of dielectrophoresis (DEP) can do the trick. We will learn how DEP can be applied to particle separation and demonstrate a very easy-to-use biomedical simulation app that is created with the Application Builder and run with COMSOL Server™.

With the release of COMSOL Multiphysics version 5.0, the Particle Tracing Module now includes a series of features called Accumulators, which can be used to couple the results of a particle tracing simulation to other physics interfaces. The accumulated variables may represent any physical quantity and can be defined either within domains or on boundaries, making them extremely flexible. Here, I will explain the different types of accumulators and their applications in particle tracing and ray optics models.

The need for a contaminant-free space to manufacture medicine has led scientists to try many creative new approaches to improve the process. At Argonne National Lab, creating a device that floats and rotates chemical compounds in thin air was just the answer they were looking for. It meant two important changes: the amount of each chemical necessary could be implemented very precisely and the risk of outside impurities disrupting the results was minimized.

The trajectories of particles through fields can often be modeled using a one-way coupling between physics interfaces. In other words, we can first compute the fields, such as an electric field, magnetic field, or fluid velocity field, and then use these fields to exert forces on the particles using the Particle Tracing Module. If the number density of the particles is very large, however, the particles begin to noticeably perturb the fields around them, and a two-way coupling is needed […]

Laminar static mixers are used for the accurate mixing of fluids (both liquid and gas). Unlike a mixer containing moving blades, a static mixer contains twisted stationary blades that are positioned at different angles throughout the cylindrical flow channel of the mixer. When a fluid is pumped through the channel, the alternating directions of the cross-sectional blades cause the fluid to become mixed as it passes along the length of the channel. This mixing technique allows for precise control over […]