Industrial production of important inorganic and specialty chemicals represent enormous financial products, and their production involves a broad range of fluidization unit designs and components.  Barracuda is being used to successfully understand all of the complex 3-D, transient fluidization phenomena in these units, including the catalytic chemical reactions inside large (>10 m diameter) deepbed reactors. Reactors types include acrylonitrile, titanium dioxide, and polyethylene. The fundamental understandings from Barracuda simulations has led to solutions for our customers, providing improvements regarding unit design modification, process flow modifications, scaleup from pilot plants, and ultimate chemical product yields.

In short, Barracuda ‘puts science behind your critical plant decisions,’ which have a large financial impact on your company.

Reactor Components → Issues
Sparger or risers → jet penetration / wear / location / number / geometry
Cyclones → efficiency / pressure balance / flooding / reliability
Feedline / Valves / Withdrawal → location, wear, number
Transfer Lines → size / orientation / wear / internals

Reactor Phenomena
Fluidization quality: bubbling to turbulent regimes
Gas bypassing or streaming in the bed
Particle attrition / agglomeration
Gas / solids contacting efficiency
Bed average density, DP/L
Segregation of size/materials
Elutriation rate / PSD
TDH / freeboard densities
Bed circulation rates
Chemical Reactions
Thermal performance of fluid / solids / coils