A new tool has been developed to make use of the MolFlow CLI to simulate the evolution of vacuum systems through an iterative procedure. The Vacuum chamber conditioning and saturation simulation tool (VacuumCOST) consists of a set of Python scripts that repeatedly call MolFlow CLI, each time updating a set of parameters based on the results of the previous simulation.

This allows users to simulate the saturation of NEG-coated surfaces as function of time, predict the resulting pressure evolution, simulate the behaviour in case of suddenly occurring leaks, etc.

VacuumCOST is available for download here: https://gitlab.cern.ch/phenriks/vacuumcost/

A description as well as a real-would demonstrator case can be found in the article here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vacuum.2023.111992