In 2010 the department SMS started the development of the simulation and optimization tool OptPleat. The main purpose of this software package is the computer aided prediction of the complex processes in filter elements with pleated filter media. Due to their favourable ratio of filtration surface to filter housing volume, pleated media are widely used in a broad spectrum ranging from industrial to municipal and biomedical applications. The simulation of the phenomena inside such a filter element is a big challenge because of the complex geometry of the medium and the resulting impact on both the flow field and the deposition of particles. As a consequence, numerical computations are very costly when standard methods are used. In order to shorten the developmental period when designing new elements of this type by use of Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), OptPleat utilizes problem-adapted and more robust algorithms that significantly reduce the computational effort.

OptPleat is equipped with a graphical user interface (GUI) that facilitates the management of the input data (e.g. flow and material parameters) and enables the user to modify the number and the shape of the filter pleats with simultaneous visualization of the edited geometry. The modular structure of OptPleat enables the user to choose the appropriate tool for the given optimization task, depending on the complexity of the problem at hand. An initial optimization of the shape of the filter medium can be performed using very fast routines based on analytical solutions for the deposition profile. For further improvements of the design, there is a toolbox for the simulation of flow and filtration in 2D and 3D. In addition, standardized filter efficiency tests (ISO) can be simulated such that OptPleat offers a large variety of optimization possibilities long before the stage of real world prototyping begins.

Furthermore, it was investigated numerically how an elastic porous medium is deformed under the influence of the flow. Here it has to be taken into account that the loading of the filter leads to a changed permeability of the filter medium, resulting in a changed pressure drop and eventually a new shape of the pleats. The adequate consideration of this complex interplay between deposition, deformation and flow in the simulation is crucial for filter designs with a minimal risk of "pleat collapse". The creation of the corresponding software module is one of the key subjects of the current and the future development of OptPleat. .