What is CaRMeN?

CaRMeN stands for CAtalytic Reaction MEchanisms Network. It is a package of software tools specifically designed for the rapid analysis of physical and chemical models against experimental data. CaRMeN combines tools to archive and package various forms of data with simulation codes in a graphical user interface. It improves the manual workflow of testing various models against experimental data by automating time-consuming and error-prone tasks such as setting up problems (simulations) and post-processing the resulting data. Within the user interface, experimental data can be conveniently compared with the results of any simulation code under the matching experimental conditions in a plug-and-play fashion.

Although developed to improve the development process of catalytic reaction mechanisms, CaRMeN’s applicability is much more general. CaRMeN can also be used to assess the quality of physical models. Examples include various transport models for porous media (dusty gas vs. Thiele-modulus approach), or different flow models (laminar/plug flow). Furthermore, CaRMeN can be extended to work with any simulation code by configuring a driver.

Reaction mechanisms can be developed and evaluated faster and their quality and applicability can be increased. False measurements in experimental data can be recognized more easily. Critical computer software issues due to programming errors and wrongly-implemented and inadequately used sub models become more obvious, even by users not-so familiar with computing.

A look inside

The screenshot below shows the graphical user interface. Experiments are listed in the left sidebar, while the right side bar contains mechanisms. The selections on the left control which experiments to display. These items can then be combined with items on the right by making selections. This way, testing models against experimental data becomes a matter of simply making a selection with a click. In this example, only mechanisms are shown on the right-hand side. However, any other model can be added to the right sidebar, for example various diffusion or flow models.

Carmen