23.7.7 Histogram Reporting of Samples

Histograms can be plotted from sample files created in the Sample Trajectories dialog box (as described in Section  23.7.6) using the Trajectory Sample Histograms dialog box (Figure  23.7.5).

Reports Histogram Set Up...

Figure 23.7.5: The Trajectory Sample Histograms Dialog Box

The procedure for plotting histograms from data in a sample file is listed below:

1.   Select a file to be read by clicking the Read... button. After you read in the sample file, the boundary name will appear in the Sample list.

2.   Select the data sample in the Sample list, and then select the data to be plotted from the Variable list.

3.   Select the data to weight the variable from the Weight list.

4.   Click the Plot button at the bottom of the dialog box to display the histogram.

By default, the percent of particles will be plotted on the $y$ axis. You can plot the actual number of particles by deselecting Percent under Options. The number of "bins'' or intervals in the plot can be set in the Divisions field. You can delete samples from the list with the Delete button and update the Min/Max values with the Compute button. To display the histogram without the bars, deselect Histogram Mode under Options. A summary similar to that in Section  23.7.8 will be displayed in the console for the selected variables when Diameter Statistics is enabled. Although these statistics are computed for the selected variable in the Variable list, it is applicable only to the diameter information. When the sampled particle streams all have the same flow rate, you can disable the Weighting. To postprocess the histograms with other tools, you can store them in an XY-plot file format using the Write... button.

When investigating the behavior of particles, it is sometimes desirable to know how one type of particle variable depends on another particle variable. To facilitate this, the Correlation option exists. When you enable this option, an additional column of sampled variables appears, allowing you to choose the correlation variable (see Figure  23.7.6).

Figure 23.7.6: The Trajectory Sample Histograms Dialog Box

If you want to know the continuous cumulative distributions, enable the Cumulative Curve option. A cumulative distribution curve is computed of the variable which is selected in the Variable list. However, if the Correlation option is enabled along with the Cumulative Curve, then the cumulative curve of the variable selected in the Correlation list is plotted. For a constant particle density, you can plot the cumulative mass distribution by selecting the diameter and enabling (Variable)^3.