Akselos

Last updated
Akselos SA
Privately held company
Industry Simulation software
Founded2012
FounderThomas Leurent, David Knezevic, Phuong Huynh
Headquarters,
ServicesDigital twins of energy infrastructure
Website www.akselos.com

Akselos is a Swiss company which provides an engineering simulation platform based on reduced-basis finite-element analysis. [1] The platform is used to create digital twins of energy infrastructures in order to improve their design, maintenance, reliability and lifetime. [2] [3]

Contents

The company is headquartered in Lausanne at the EPFL Innovation Park, [4] and has offices in Boston and Vietnam. [5] Thomas Leurent is the current Akselos CEO. [6]

Company history

In 2011, technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) project "High resolution simulations for system analysis" was spun out into Akselos. [7] In 2012, the company was founded by David Knezevic, Thomas Leurent and Phuong Huynh, who were involved in the initial research. [8] [9]

Akselos raised a first round of investment of USD 2.2 million in 2016. [10] A second round of investment of USD 10 million led by Innogy Ventures and Shell Ventures was raised in 2018. [11]

In 2020, Akselos was selected as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer. [12]

Reduced-basis finite-element analysis technology

Between 2000 and 2011, reduced-basis finite-element analysis was developed in research laboratories from different universities, including MIT and Pierre and Marie Curie University. [13] [14] [15] [16] Akselos received a license from the MIT Technology licensing office on the development of the technology. [17] Later on, Akselos collaborated with EPFL for the development of a simulation software for critical infrastructures. [4]

The technology allows its user to perform simulations on a 3D physics-based digital model of an energy infrastructure, called a digital twin. [18] To build the digital twin, all available data on the energy infrastructure asset needs first to be collected. The digital twin then allows the user to monitor reliability as well as predict potential failures and may help to extend the lifetime of assets. [18] It is said by Akselos technology users that in some applications, the technology can be a thousand times faster than other methods. [19] According to the company, the technology provides more details and accuracy than conventional finite element analysis when modelling large assets. [20]

Related Research Articles

Numerical analysis Field of mathematics

Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation for the problems of mathematical analysis. Numerical analysis naturally finds application in all fields of engineering and the physical sciences, but in the 21st century also the life sciences, social sciences, medicine, business and even the arts have adopted elements of scientific computations. The growth in computing power has revolutionized the use of realistic mathematical models in science and engineering, and subtle numerical analysis is required to implement these detailed models of the world. For example, ordinary differential equations appear in celestial mechanics ; numerical linear algebra is important for data analysis; stochastic differential equations and Markov chains are essential in simulating living cells for medicine and biology.

Bentley Systems

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, is an American-based software development company that develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports computer software and services for the design, construction, and operation of infrastructure. The company's software serves the building, plant, civil, and geospatial markets in the areas of architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. Their software products are used to design, engineer, build, and operate large constructed assets such as roadways, railways, bridges, buildings, industrial plants, power plants, and utility networks. The company re-invests 20% of their revenues in research and development

Creo Elements/Pro, not to be confused with Creo Elements/Direct Modeling, which was formerly known, together with Creo Parametric, as Pro/Engineer and Wildfire, is a solid modeling or CAD, CAM, CAE, and associative 3D modeling application, running on Microsoft Windows.

Computational fluid dynamics Branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to solve and analyze problems that involve fluid flows

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate the free-stream flow of the fluid, and the interaction of the fluid with surfaces defined by boundary conditions. With high-speed supercomputers, better solutions can be achieved, and are often required to solve the largest and most complex problems. Ongoing research yields software that improves the accuracy and speed of complex simulation scenarios such as transonic or turbulent flows. Initial validation of such software is typically performed using experimental apparatus such as wind tunnels. In addition, previously performed analytical or empirical analysis of a particular problem can be used for comparison. A final validation is often performed using full-scale testing, such as flight tests.

Computer-aided engineering

Computer-aided engineering (CAE) is the broad usage of computer software to aid in engineering analysis tasks. It includes finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multibody dynamics (MBD), durability and optimization. It is included with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) in the collective abbreviation "CAx".

Physics engine Software for approximate simulation of physical systems

A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics, soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film (CGI). Their main uses are in video games, in which case the simulations are in real-time. The term is sometimes used more generally to describe any software system for simulating physical phenomena, such as high-performance scientific simulation.

Finite-difference time-domain method

Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) or Yee's method is a numerical analysis technique used for modeling computational electrodynamics. Since it is a time-domain method, FDTD solutions can cover a wide frequency range with a single simulation run, and treat nonlinear material properties in a natural way.

Ansys American technology company

Ansys, Inc. is an American company based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. It develops and markets multiphysics engineering simulation software for product design, testing and operation and offers its products and services to customers worldwide. Ansys was founded in 1970 by John Swanson. Swanson sold his interest in the company to venture capitalists in 1993. Ansys went public on NASDAQ in 1996. In the 2000s, Ansys made numerous acquisitions of other engineering design companies, acquiring additional technology for fluid dynamics, electronics design, and other physics analysis. Ansys became a component of the NASDAQ-100 index on December 23, 2019.

Computational electromagnetics (CEM), computational electrodynamics or electromagnetic modeling is the process of modeling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a process supported by various tools, technologies and contracts involving the generation and management of digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. Building information models (BIMs) are computer files which can be extracted, exchanged or networked to support decision-making regarding a built asset. BIM software is used by individuals, businesses and government agencies who plan, design, construct, operate and maintain buildings and diverse physical infrastructures, such as water, refuse, electricity, gas, communication utilities, roads, railways, bridges, ports and tunnels.

Reservoir simulation

Reservoir simulation is an area of reservoir engineering in which computer models are used to predict the flow of fluids through porous media.

In the numerical solution of partial differential equations, a topic in mathematics, the spectral element method (SEM) is a formulation of the finite element method (FEM) that uses high degree piecewise polynomials as basis functions. The spectral element method was introduced in a 1984 paper by A. T. Patera. Although Patera is credited with development of the method, his work was a rediscovery of an existing method

FEniCS Project

The FEniCS Project is a collection of free and open-source software components with the common goal to enable automated solution of differential equations. The components provide scientific computing tools for working with computational meshes, finite-element variational formulations of ordinary and partial differential equations, and numerical linear algebra.

Finite element method Numerical method for solving physical or engineering problems

The finite element method (FEM) is the most widely used method for solving problems of engineering and mathematical models. Typical problem areas of interest include the traditional fields of structural analysis, heat transfer, fluid flow, mass transport, and electromagnetic potential. The FEM is a particular numerical method for solving partial differential equations in two or three space variables. To solve a problem, the FEM subdivides a large system into smaller, simpler parts that are called finite elements. This is achieved by a particular space discretization in the space dimensions, which is implemented by the construction of a mesh of the object: the numerical domain for the solution, which has a finite number of points. The finite element method formulation of a boundary value problem finally results in a system of algebraic equations. The method approximates the unknown function over the domain. The simple equations that model these finite elements are then assembled into a larger system of equations that models the entire problem. The FEM then uses variational methods from the calculus of variations to approximate a solution by minimizing an associated error function.

Feko is a computational electromagnetics software product developed by Altair Engineering. The name is derived from the German acronym "Feldberechnung für körper mit beliebiger oberfläche", which can be translated as "field calculations involving bodies of arbitrary shape". It is a general purpose 3D electromagnetic (EM) simulator.

Model order reduction (MOR) is a technique for reducing the computational complexity of mathematical models in numerical simulations. As such it is closely related to the concept of metamodeling with applications in all areas of mathematical modelling.

A digital twin is a digital replica of a living or non-living physical entity. Digital twin refers to a digital replica of potential and actual physical assets, processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. The digital representation provides both the elements and the dynamics of how an Internet of things (IoT) device operates and lives throughout its life cycle. Definitions of digital twin technology used in prior research emphasize two important characteristics. Firstly, each definition emphasizes the connection between the physical model and the corresponding virtual model or virtual counterpart. Secondly, this connection is established by generating real-time data using sensors. The concept of the digital twin can be compared to other concepts such as cross-reality environments or co-spaces and mirror models, which aim to, by and large, synchronise part of the physical world with its cyber representation.

Annalisa Buffa Italian mathematician

Annalisa Buffa is an Italian mathematician, specializing in numerical analysis and PDEs.

FEATool Multiphysics

FEATool Multiphysics is a physics, finite element analysis (FEA), and PDE simulation toolbox. FEATool Multiphysics features the ability to model fully coupled heat transfer, fluid dynamics, chemical engineering, structural mechanics, fluid-structure interaction (FSI), electromagnetics, as well as user-defined and custom PDE problems in 1D, 2D (axisymmetry), or 3D, all within a graphical user interface (GUI) or optionally as script files. FEATool has been employed and used in academic research, teaching, and industrial engineering simulation contexts.

Jan S. Hesthaven

Jan S. Hesthaven is a Danish mathematician, currently Dean of the School of Basic Sciences with the responsibility for the Institutes of Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry at EPFL. He is Professor of Mathematics, holds the Chair of Computational Mathematics and Simulation Science (MCSS), and was appointed Vice President for Academic Affairs at EPFL. He is particularly known for contributions to the development, analysis and application of high-order accurate computational methods for time-dependent partial differential equations. He has also contributed substantially to the development of reduced order models and the application of neural networks and machine learning techniques to problems in science and engineering.

References

  1. "Extending simulation technology from the design world into the operational world". Oilfield Technology. 2019-06-17. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  2. Sharma, Parta (2017-10-01). "'Digital twin' concept underpins successful digitization strategy". Offshore. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  3. Leprince-Ringuet, Daphne (2019-10-15). "This power station the size of a cathedral is getting a digital twin". ZDNet. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  4. 1 2 Chavanne, Yannick (2018-10-08). "10 millions pour les jumeaux numériques du fournisseur vaudois Akselos". www.ictjournal.ch (in French). Retrieved 2020-12-10.
  5. Matheson, Rob (2014-08-11). "Unlocking the potential of simulation software". MIT News. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  6. Cassauwers, Tom (2019-11-15). "How digital 'twins' are guiding the future of maintenance and manufacturing". Techxplore. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  7. "High resolution simulations for system analysis | MIT Deshpande Center". deshpande.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  8. Ganapati, Priya (2010-08-20). "Android Phones Can Substitute for Supercomputers". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  9. "The Innovation Space - Akselos". CFMS. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  10. "Akselos closes CHF2.2 million financing round Startupticker.ch | The Swiss Startup News channel". www.startupticker.ch. 2016-09-14. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  11. "Innogy and Shell Support Digital Twin Tech". Offshore Wind. 2018-10-02. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  12. "World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers 2020".
  13. Leurent, Thomas (2001). Reduced basis output bounds for linear elasticity : application to microtruss structures (Master thesis). Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  14. Veroy, Karen; Patera, Anthony T. (2003-11-03). "Reduced-Basis Approximation of the Viscosity-Parametrized Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equation: Rigorous A Posteriori Error Bounds". MIT Technical Report.
  15. Barrault, Maxime; Maday, Yvon; Nguyen, Ngoc Cuong; Patera, Anthony T. (2004-11-01). "An 'empirical interpolation' method: application to efficient reduced-basis discretization of partial differential equations". Comptes Rendus Mathématique. 339 (9): 667–672. doi:10.1016/j.crma.2004.08.006. ISSN   1631-073X.
  16. Grepl, Martin A.; Maday, Yvon; Nguyen, Ngoc C.; Patera, Anthony T. (2007-05-01). "Efficient reduced-basis treatment of nonaffine and nonlinear partial differential equations". ESAIM: Mathematical Modelling and Numerical Analysis. 41 (3): 575–605. doi: 10.1051/m2an:2007031 . ISSN   0764-583X.
  17. "Akselos". MIT Innovation Initiative. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  18. 1 2 Vella, Heidi (2020-04-20). "Inside the world's first digital twin of a hydroelectric power station". Power Technology. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  19. "Digital twin of UAV provides predictive maintenance". eeNews Europe. 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
  20. Venables, Mark (2018-08-26). "Digital Twins Provide A Window Into The Future For Ageing Assets". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-06-28.