DEM User Club Virtual Meeting

This online event is designed as a practical and interactive forum, where DEM users can share insights into their work, discuss real-world applications, and exchange around the combination of numerical simulations and experimental powder characterization. A particular focus will be placed on how DEM is used in conjunction with Granutools’ experimental instruments to better understand and optimize granular processes.

This first edition of the DEM User Club will feature expert contributions from research and industry, with confirmed speakers including Dr. Benedict Benque (RCPE) and Professor Kit Windows‑Yule, as well as a live Q&A session to encourage discussion and knowledge exchange within the DEM community.

Participation is free of charge, upon registration.

Program & Schedule

3:30 PM – Welcome & Introduction

By Roozbeh Valadian, Ph.D., Sales Manager, Granutools

3:40 – Leveraging the discrete element method in oral solid dosage form manufacturing

The discrete element method (DEM) has progressed from providing academic insight into idealized behavior of granular material to an industrially relevant simulation tool that informs the design and operation of oral solid dosage (OSD) manufacturing processes. This talk presents case studies in blending, feeding, tableting, and coating, highlighting the growing maturity of DEM and its integration into pharmaceutical process development and scale-up.

By Dr. Benedict Benque, Area Leader – Science of Quality, RCPE

4:05 – GranuDrum-Guided DEM Calibration via an Evolutionary Optimisation Framework

DEM calibration remains highly challenging because key particle-scale parameters are difficult to measure directly and often have overlapping effects on bulk behavior. This talk presents ACCES, an AI-enabled DEM calibration workflow that combines optimization with experimental measurements rather than relying on simulation alone. Specifically, we demonstrate how GranuDrum measurements, which offer multiple "closures" for the calibration optimization problem, as well as unique measurements to capture and isolate cohesive properties, can be used to calibrate DEM simulations with quantitative accuracy, as demonstrated through direct comparison with detailed, high-resolution experimental data.

By Professor Kit Windows-Yule MSci, PhD, School of Chemical Engineering, Professor of Digital Particle Technology, Director of Innovation for the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

4:30 – Q&A session

5:00 – End

Register now