diff --git a/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.C b/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.C
index 6eb33021..4a2774df 100644
--- a/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.C
+++ b/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.C
@@ -71,10 +71,6 @@ oneWayVTK::oneWayVTK
     maxNumberOfParticles_ = readScalar(propsDict_.lookup("maxNumberOfParticles"));
     setNumberOfParticles(maxNumberOfParticles_);
 
-    // make a const char* from word
-    string HH=string(filename_);
-    charFilename_=HH.c_str();
-
     Info << "relativePath_" << relativePath_ << endl;
 }
 
@@ -94,107 +90,100 @@ void oneWayVTK::getData
     label step
 ) const
 {
-if (type == "scalar-atom")
-{
-    // get path to particle VTK files
-    char index[100];
-    sprintf(index, charFilename_, step);
-    //fileName H(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/".."/"DEM"/"post"/index);
-    fileName H(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/relativePath_/index);
-    Info << "opening file: " <<H << endl;
-
-    // set file pointer
-    string HH=string(H);
-    const char * paricleFilePath=HH.c_str();
-    ifstream* inputPtr;
-    inputPtr = new ifstream(paricleFilePath);
-
-    if (name == "radius")
+    if (type == "scalar-atom")
     {
-        // read data
-        string just_read = " ";
-        while(just_read.compare(name) != 0)  *inputPtr >> just_read;   //read until we read "name"
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "1"
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "LookUp"
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "default"
-        for(int index = 0;index <  particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
+        // get path to particle VTK files
+        char index[100];
+        sprintf(index, filename_.c_str(), step);
+        fileName paricleFilePath(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/relativePath_/index);
+        Info << "opening file: " << paricleFilePath << endl;
+
+        // open file
+        ifstream input(paricleFilePath.c_str());
+
+        if (!input.is_open()) cerr << "File not found!, " << paricleFilePath << endl;
+
+        if (name == "radius")
         {
-            *inputPtr >> field[index][0];
+            // read data
+            string just_read;
+            while (just_read.compare(name) != 0)  input >> just_read; //read until we read "name"
+            input >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
+            input >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "1"
+            input >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "LookUp"
+            input >> just_read;                                    // skip text for "default"
+            for (int index = 0; index<particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
+            {
+                input >> field[index][0];
+            }
         }
+        else
+        {
+            // read data
+            string just_read;
+            while (just_read.compare(name) != 0)  input >> just_read; //read until we read "name"
+            input >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
+            for (int index = 0; index<particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
+            {
+                input >> field[index][0];
+            }
+        }
+
+        // close inputStream
+        input.close();
+    }
+    else if (type == "vector-atom")
+    {
+        // get path to particle VTK files
+        char index[100];
+        sprintf(index, filename_.c_str(), step);
+        fileName paricleFilePath(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/relativePath_/index);
+        Info << "opening file: " << paricleFilePath << endl;
+
+        // open file
+        ifstream input(paricleFilePath.c_str());
+
+        if (!input.is_open()) cerr << "File not found!, " << paricleFilePath << endl;
+
+        // read position data from VTK file
+        //NP: special case as position data has no "name" in the vtk file
+        if (name == "x")
+        {
+            int numberOfParticles;  // remove this?
+            string just_read;
+            while (just_read.compare("POINTS") != 0)  input >> just_read; // read until we read "POINTS"
+            input >> numberOfParticles;                             // this is now the number of points in the file
+            input >> just_read;                                     // skip text for dataType
+
+            // give nr of particles to cloud
+            setNumberOfParticles(numberOfParticles);
+
+            // re-allocate arrays of cloud
+            particleCloud_.reAllocArrays();
+
+            for (int index = 0; index<numberOfParticles; ++index)
+            {
+                input >> field[index][0] >> field[index][1] >> field[index][2];
+            }
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            string just_read;
+            while (just_read.compare(name) != 0)  input >> just_read;  // read until we read "name"
+            input >> just_read;                                        // skip text for dataType
+            for (int index = 0; index<particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
+            {
+                input >> field[index][0] >> field[index][1] >> field[index][2];
+            }
+        }
+
+        // close inputStream
+        input.close();
     }
     else
     {
-        // read data
-        string just_read = " ";
-        while(just_read.compare(name) != 0)  *inputPtr >> just_read;   //read until we read "name"
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
-        for(int index = 0;index <  particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
-        {
-            *inputPtr >> field[index][0];
-        }
+        Info << "unknown type in getData!!!" << endl;
     }
-
-    // clean up inputStream
-    delete inputPtr;
-} else if (type == "vector-atom")
-{
-    // get path to particle VTK files
-    char index[100];
-    sprintf(index, charFilename_, step);
-    //fileName H(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/".."/"DEM"/"post"/index);
-    fileName H(particleCloud_.mesh().time().path()/relativePath_/index);
-    Info << "opening file: " <<H << endl;
-
-    // set file pointer
-    string HH=string(H);
-    const char * paricleFilePath=HH.c_str();
-    ifstream* inputPtr;
-    inputPtr = new ifstream(paricleFilePath);
-
-    // read position data from VTK file
-    //NP: secial case as position data has no "name" in the vtk file
-    if (name == "x")
-    {
-        int numberOfParticles;  // remove this?
-
-        string just_read = " ";
-        if(!*inputPtr) cerr << "File not found!, " << H << endl;
-        while(just_read.compare("POINTS") != 0)  *inputPtr >> just_read;   //read until we read "POINTS"
-        *inputPtr >> numberOfParticles;                           //this is now the number of points in the file
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
-
-        // give nr of particles to cloud
-        setNumberOfParticles(numberOfParticles);
-
-        // re-allocate arrays of cloud
-        particleCloud_.reAllocArrays();
-
-        for(int index = 0;index <  numberOfParticles; ++index)
-        {
-            *inputPtr >> field[index][0] >> field[index][1] >> field[index][2];
-        }
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        string just_read = " ";
-        while(just_read.compare(name) != 0)  *inputPtr >> just_read;   //read until we read "name"
-        *inputPtr >> just_read;                                    // skip text for dataType
-        for(int index = 0;index <  particleCloud_.numberOfParticles(); ++index)
-        {
-            *inputPtr >> field[index][0] >> field[index][1] >> field[index][2];
-        }
-    }
-
-    // clean up inputStream
-    delete inputPtr;
-}
-else
-{
-    Info << "unknown type in getData!!!" << endl;
-}
-
-
 }
 
 void oneWayVTK::giveData
diff --git a/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.H b/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.H
index bd6d7937..c8e0cfdf 100644
--- a/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.H
+++ b/src/lagrangian/cfdemParticle/subModels/dataExchangeModel/oneWayVTK/oneWayVTK.H
@@ -64,8 +64,6 @@ private:
 
     fileName relativePath_;
 
-    const char* charFilename_;
-
 public:
 
     //- Runtime type information
@@ -102,7 +100,7 @@ public:
             int ** const& field,
             label step
         ) const
-        {};
+        {}
 
         void giveData
         (
@@ -112,7 +110,7 @@ public:
             const char* datatype = ""
         ) const;
 
-        word myType() const{return typeName; };
+        word myType() const{ return typeName; }
 };