Overland Conveyor Company is excited and proud to announce Bulk Flow Analyst Version 18 has been released after years of development and testing
Bulk Flow Analyst 18 New Features Video:
We have studied every facet of the software from user experience to the underlying DEM engine. Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18 contains a number of improvements and enhancements including:
New Material Studio
Random Lump Shapes
Updated Material Library and New General Library
Ramped Belt Speeds
Simplified Material Characterization Test Procedure
Improved Simulation Speed
Updated User Interface
New Advanced Mode
New Request Audit
Updated Help Files
A current Maintenance, Enhancements and Support (MES) agreement is necessary to receive Bulk Flow Anaylst™ 18 upon release. If your MES is expired or runs out by January 2018, Overland Conveyor Co will send a renewal quote within a few business days. Renew MES before Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18 is released and receive a discount. Please contact Tawna Kjera at kjera@overlandconveyor.com for more details.
Online Training
Our main goal for Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18 is making the user experience more intuitive and easy to use. We understand the challenges of simulating your 3D model while navigating the complexity and details of Discrete Element Modeling.
Bulk Flow Analyst™ was originally designed by engineers to help analyze and optimize transfer chutes. Our project engineers at Overland Conveyor Co. use Bulk Flow Analyst™ to this day. We are in the unique position of experiencing the software, not only as a developer, but as an engineer and user.
For this reason, we are focusing on regular online training for Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18. Stay tuned for future LIVE events and schedule.
New Material Studio
Now you can input your size distribution directly into the software, and quickly select the desired material sizes to simulate. The new Material Studio automatically calculates the mass fractions based on your selected material sizes. The Material Studio will also automatically generate random lump shapes for each material size to better approximate rock shapes. If you want to change the lump shape, simply select a material size and regenerate.
Random Lump Shapes
Bulk Flow Analyst™ has progressed from single particles to preset lump shapes in previous versions, and now we are proud to announce random lump shapes. Real life rock shapes are not symmetrical or perfectly round. Now your simulated material won't be either. Build a unique lump shape for each material size to better approximate the randomness of rocks.
Updated Material Library and New General Library
Some projects only need a concept design while others need a quick analysis of an existing design. For the first time, Bulk Flow Analyst™ will include the new General Material Library. This will have predetermined material properties based on your material density and angle of repose. It is as easy as selecting your material and running a simulation. Even better, the General Material Library will actively be updated.
The Material Library will be shown above the Project Material List for ease of opening, editing, and saving materials. Multiple library files can be viewed at the same time, and reorganizing materials is as fast as drag and drop.
Ramped Belt Speed
Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18 allows users to input a ramped speed duration to analyze starting and stopping conditions. Simulate differential stop times and analyze the transfer chute capacity. Then start the receiving conveyor back up and observe how the material is pulled away.
Simplified Material Characterization Test Procedures
Determining the Discrete Element Modeling parameters to accurately simulate your material is admittedly the most difficult process in setting up simulations. We recognize this and material characterization is a topic we discuss continuously.
The updated material characterization in Bulk Flow Analyst™ 18 has taken a more direct approach to gather necessary data with quick, simple tests which could be performed onsite. The test results are used to run the material characterization and optimized your material parameters.
Improved Simulation Speed
Run your simulations up to six times faster in some cases or simulate smaller particle sizes. The faster run time allow engineers to analyze more design iterations quickly. The smaller particle sizes provide a more detailed final simulation and reveals where additional refinement on final designs may need to be considered.
Updated User Interface
We have updated the user interface to include toolbars on each tab and moved the Modeler controls above the model as a ribbon. The dividers between lists and the on the material studio can be dragged to create a custom look and feel. A new advanced mode has also been added to clean up the user interface when advanced mode is unchecked.
New Advanced Mode
We simplified which parameters are shown for basic mode while providing the flexibility to change any parameter in advanced mode. Is adhesion or curvature mesh quality not necessary? Leave the program in basic mode and have a cleaner look.
New Request Audit
Need help with your simulation? Request Audit allows you to send your project file and any additional files to OCC to review. Fill out the form and we will contact you as soon as possible.
Updated Help Files
We completely reworked the Bulk Flow Analyst™ help files from the ground up. The new structure breaks topics into Preprocessing, Processing, and Postprocessing to make the help files more searchable and to keep your focus on the project at hand.
Bugs Fixed
Usability bugs were addressed on Modeler tab regarding the ability to select surfaces, lines, and points
DEMView bugs including auto/custom settings, saving results across sessions, and default camera settings
Material library bugs including an issue where libraries saved in different locations are not compatible
Fixed an issue with simulations that contain adhesion where materials would not adhere to the face and would get stick at the corners and/or edges