CPFD Software

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Fixed Bed Simulation by Barracuda, November 14th, 2024
2024-11-14
Beijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd., is CPFD Software’s distributor in the People’s Republic of China. If you are located there and are interested in attending a training, please email them here.
Fixed bed refers to a reactor filled with granular solid catalysts or solid reactants to form a stacked bed layer of a certain height. Gas or liquid materials flow through the gaps between particles and pass through the static fixed bed layer, realizing a heterogeneous reaction process. The characteristic of this type of reactor is that the solid particles filled in the equipment are fixed, which is different from the moving bed and fluidized bed in which the solid materials move in the equipment. It is also called a packed bed reactor. Fixed bed reactors are widely used in gas-solid phase reaction and liquid-solid phase reaction processes, for example, fixed semi-water gas generators in the synthetic ammonia industry, fixed bed ion exchange columns in water treatment , etc.
Fixed bed reactor is a kind of multiphase reactor that has been studied more thoroughly. There are many mathematical models to describe fixed bed reactor, which can be roughly divided into two categories: quasi-homogeneous model (not considering the density and temperature differences between fluid and solid) and multiphase model (taking into account the density and temperature differences between fluid and solid).
Based on the CPFD method, Barracuda software can realize the heat and mass transfer process between particles and fluids in a fixed bed, and with the efficient parallel computing capabilities of CPU/GPU, it can solve the complex fluid-particle reactions in industrial-scale fixed-bed reactors. And since version 24.0, the software has built-in particle-particle contact heat conduction model, which can realize contact heat exchange between particles in a fixed bed.

ATCx DEM - November 20-21, 2024
2024-11-20 - 2024-11-21
CPFD Software will be speaking at ATCx DEM. VP of Operations Peter Blaser will be speaking on “Complementing DEM for Large-Scale, Thermal, Reacting, Multiphase Systems”.
Since its debut in 2020, ATCx DEM has become the premier global virtual technology conference dedicated to the discrete element method (DEM) for bulk and granular material simulation. This engaging event brings together a global community of engineers, researchers, and scientists to explore the groundbreaking applications of DEM across diverse industries. ATCx DEM 2024 will span three major time zones – Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. Enjoy enhanced accessibility with closed captioning and live audio translations into multiple languages.

Hi-Key Technology Offline Training - Barracuda Virtual Reactor Technical Seminar (Cement and Chemical Industry), November 26-27, 2024
2024-11-26 - 2024-11-27
Beijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd., is CPFD Software’s distributor in the People’s Republic of China. If you are located there and are interested in attending a training, please email them here.
Barracuda, developed based on CPFD (Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics) technology, is a commercial software package dedicated to industrial-grade fluidization and chemical reaction simulation. It has been widely used in the cement industry for its fast simulation modeling method, efficient and stable multiphase flow coupling solver, convenient chemical reaction modeling method, industrial-grade particle simulation quantity, etc. Compared with traditional CFD software, Barracuda can realize the simulation analysis of industrial equipment in a shorter time and meet the needs of industrial simulation.
Seminar topics:
Day 1: Barracuda Technology Seminar (cement and chemical industry)
Day 2: Barracuda Software Training

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Houston, Texas, January 7-10, 2025
2025-01-07 - 2025-01-10
CPFD will give an invited guest lecture about “Simulation of Industrial-Scale Fluidized Beds and Fluid-Particle Systems” at the PSRI Fluidization Seminar, taking place January 7-10, 2025 at the JW Marriott in Houston, TX.
The purpose of the PSRI Fluidization Seminar is to supply instruction on the theory, design and operation of fluidized beds and solids transfer systems for engineers new to the field, or those who want to improve their understanding of the field. The four-day course covers the basics of fluidized beds and solids transfer, and then discusses how best to design and operate the most critical elements of fluidized beds and solids transfer such as cyclones, standpipes, gas distributors and pneumatic conveying lines.

Basic Fluidization Hydrodynamics
Gas Distributor Design and Operation
Circulating Fluidized Beds and High-Velocity Systems
Cyclone Design and Operation
Dilute and Dense-Phase Conveying
Particle Entrainment
Erosion and Particle Attrition
Standpipes and Solids Flow Systems

Learn more about the fluidization seminar and workshop or register here.

AIChE PTF Webinar Series : Ultrafast Electrodeposition of Faceted Li metal Polyhedra - February 11, 2025
2025-02-11 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago)
Electrochemical deposition of metals with precise morphological and chemical control is of fundamental importance to a broad range of electrochemical systems, including energy storage, large scale manufacturing, electronics, and electrocatalysis. For non-reactive metals (e.g. Ni, Pt), electroplating is a commercially established process that gives the desired control of deposition morphology and chemistry. However, deposition of reactive metals (e.g. Li, Na) critical for enabling next-generation batteries is complicated by metal surface corrosion that occurs concurrently with metal deposition, making such electrodeposition processes neither well-understood nor well-controlled. This work highlights the electrodeposition of lithium (Li), a reactive metal anode plagued with uncontrolled dendritic morphologies and surface corrosion, both of which are intimately linked and occur simultaneously. Despite tremendous research efforts to mitigate these issues, common literature descriptions of Li metal deposits (e.g. “chunky”, “pancake”) and their corrosion films (e.g. “strong”, “stable”) are ill-defined and often qualitative, highlighting our incomplete understanding of the deposition process and hindering the practical application of high energy battery chemistries enabled by Li metal. Our work seeks to bridge this critical gap in understanding by solving the fundamental challenge of (1) decoupling simultaneous electrodeposition from surface corrosion of reactive metals and (2) observing their reactive nanoscale interface.
PTF Webinar Series on emerging technologies that are shaping the future of particle technology. We are inviting distinguished experts who will shed light on various emerging technologies. The goal of these webinar series is to excite the undergraduate and graduate students to get into particle technologies and prepare themselves for future job opportunities.

Tecplot Webinar: Next-Gen Graphics Performance, February 19, 2025
2025-02-19 09:00 - 10:00
For the past year, Tecplot has been working on a new graphics engine to achieve faster performance, increase memory efficiency, and leverage modern rendering techniques. Tecplot are excited to announce that Tecplot 360 and FieldView will be the first CAE applications to leverage the power of Vulkan for optimized graphics performance. In this webinar, we will be giving a technology preview of the new graphics engine for both Tecplot 360 and FieldView. Register to see it for yourself!

What is Vulkan and why should you care about your CAE tools leveraging this new technology?
How much faster will the new Tecplot 360 and FieldView be?
How easy is it to render realistic materials with PBR (Physically Based Rendering)?

PSRI Special Webinar : Separating Biochar and Ash from Renewable Processes - February 25, 2025
2025-02-25 10:00 - 11:00
This webinar focuses on applying the well-established Third Stage Separator (TSS) in FCC circuit to emerging technologies. As the energy transition accelerates, the quest for processing renewable and circular feed stocks such as Biomass and Plastic waste is increasing. The biggest challenge in these services is the efficient separation of biochar and ash from the product hydrocarbon vapours. Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SC&T) has proven Third Stage Separation (TSS) technology for catalyst separation from FCC regenerator flue gas. Recent studies by SC&T and independent third parties have shown Shell’s TSS technology to be an excellent solution for the removal of biochar and ash from gas streams in other processes. This webinar will discuss the basics of Shell’s TSS technology, the applications of the TSS in biochar and ash services, and the findings from Shell’s TSS study on the separation of biochar and ash.

SPE-GCS: Opportunities and Challenges of CFD Modeling in Completions and Production Applications - February 28th, 2025
2025-02-28
Numerical modeling of the completions and production applications involves a combination of various physical phenomena operating in a wide range of length scales and sometimes involving complex multiphase non-Newtonian fluids. The tools and equipment can experience high flow velocities and must withstand erosion and corrosion from fracturing/cement slurries and production fluids. The modeling often requires fluid-structure interaction and a combination of flow modeling in mechanical devices and the reservoir.
The downhole tools require high reliability. Some equipment operates for decades in harsh environments and make autonomous adjustments to the production from different zones. As a result, Virtual Verification and Validation have become the norm to qualify new designs and improve existing ones.
This workshop aims to bring together experts in academia and industry to brainstorm, discuss, and help us better understand the current state-of-the-art approach to this vital process and its applications. It will include short talks by key practitioners covering various aspects of CFD modeling, followed by a networking session.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Virtual Reactor Common Issues FAQ, March 20th, 2025
2025-03-20
Beijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd., is CPFD Software’s distributor in the People’s Republic of China. If you are located there and are interested in attending a training, please email them here.

25th Fluidized Bed Conversion Conference - April 7-10, 2025
2025-04-06 - 2025-04-10
Since the inception of the first FBC conference in 1968, it has consistently served as a successful forum for fostering collaboration and disseminating cutting-edge research. The 25th FBC conference is committed to upholding this legacy by covering the most recent developments in fluidized bed conversion, ranging from fundamental principles to practical applications.
Mark your calendars for the 25th FBC conference in Nanjing. The conference invites researchers and professionals from academia and industry to join them in exploring the future of fluidized bed technology, forging new connections, and shaping the trajectory of this rapidly evolving field.

2025 AIChE Annual Meeting Call for Abstracts - April 7, 2025
2025-04-07
CPFD Software encourages members of our user community to submit abstracts to the AIChE Annual Meeting. We are continually excited by opportunities to share our community’s research, and the Particle Technology Forum at this conference is an ideal platform to share, learn, and discuss the latest advancements in fluidization technology.
The AIChE Annual Meeting is the premier educational forum for chemical engineers interested in innovation and professional growth. Academic and industry experts will cover wide range of topics relevant to cutting-edge research, new technologies, and emerging growth areas in chemical engineering.

CONTINUING FOR 2025: The Executive Board of the Program Committee (EBPC) has developed a set of standards for abstracts accepted for presentation. These guidelines will be used by session chairs during the review process. Papers will be graded on relevance, completeness, clarity, and overall significance.

CastExpo, April 12-15, 2025
2025-04-12 - 2025-04-15
Visit CPFD Software at CastExpo 2025 where we will be exhibiting the Arena-flow product at booth 1049. Learn more here.
CastExpo 2025 is your chance to connect with suppliers, peers, and customers. Catch new ideas to excel at your job and improve your business. Take advantage of the heralded technical and management sessions, plus AFS Institute courses, keynote speakers, shared interest group meetings, and the AFS Hub on the exhibit floor.
Additionally, The World Foundry Organization (WFO) will co-locate with AFS and present the 2025 World Foundry Technical Forum in Atlanta. The WFO is the recognized center of strategic foundry knowledge at the global level, designed to develop, enhance and improve the production of metalcastings through the latest technical and sustainable industry practices. The World Foundry Technical Forum is held once every two years.

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Chicago, Illinois, April 22-25th, 2025
2025-04-22 - 2025-04-25
CPFD will give an invited guest lecture about “Simulation of Industrial-Scale Fluidized Beds and Fluid-Particle Systems” at the PSRI Fluidization Seminar, taking place April 22-25th, 2025 at PSRI’s headquarters in Chicago, IL.
The purpose of the PSRI Fluidization Seminar is to supply instruction on the theory, design and operation of fluidized beds and solids transfer systems for engineers new to the field, or those who want to improve their understanding of the field. The four-day course covers the basics of fluidized beds and solids transfer, and then discusses how best to design and operate the most critical elements of fluidized beds and solids transfer such as cyclones, standpipes, gas distributors and pneumatic conveying lines.

Basic Fluidization Hydrodynamics
Gas Distributor Design and Operation
Circulating Fluidized Beds and High-Velocity Systems
Cyclone Design and Operation
Dilute and Dense-Phase Conveying
Particle Entrainment
Erosion and Particle Attrition
Standpipes and Solids Flow Systems

Learn more about the fluidization seminar and workshop or register here.

IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference - May 4-8, 2025
2025-05-04 - 2025-05-08
The best and brightest in the cement industry are coming together in Birmingham, Alabama, May 4 – 8 at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex for the 67th annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference. Join PCA at the most prestigious gathering of cement and concrete industry professionals.

15th FCC Forum - May 12-15, 2025
2025-05-12 - 2025-05-15
CPFD Software are proud to once again sponsor the FCC Forum. This by-invitation-only event, hosted by Axens and Technip Energies, is dedicated to FCC Technology and its related topics. The event will be held at the Prague Marriott Hotel, located in the historic city center.
The Forum will start with a Welcome Reception on Monday, 12 May at 18:30, with the technical program beginning on Tuesday, 13 May at 8:00 am and ending on Thursday, 15 May at 13:00.

22nd VDI Conference on Combustion and Boilers, May 13-14th, 2025
2025-05-13 - 2025-05-14
The established 22nd specialist conference on 13-14 May 2025 in Magdeburg will focus on optimising the operation of furnaces and boilers in large combustion plants with heterogeneous fuels, such as waste, biomass, sewage sludge or substitute fuels. Future topics such as carbon capture, AI-supported waste quality analysis, new technologies, the combustion of sewage sludge or other biomass as well as requirements for materials and protective coatings will also be highlighted. The conference will focus on sharing practical experience. Learn more here.
Conference participants are encouraged to attend Adlan Omer’s presentation entitled, “CFD Simulation of Sewage Sludge Fluidized Bed Combustion – Challenges, Solutions, and Sensitivity Analyses” on Wednesday, May 14 at 09:40. In his talk, Adlan will share the stage with Dr., -Ing. Paul Alps, Director of Engineering at EEW Energy from Waste GmbH. The presentation explores:

The necessity of sewage sludge mono-incineration
Simulation of particle-laden flows considering energy and mass transfer with Barracuda Virtual Reactor, a specialised CFD software designed for complex multiphase, reacting flows with high solids loading
Overcoming the challenge of reaching quasi-steady state through a “digital startup” approach
Modelling and validating sewage sludge evaporation behaviour through sensitivity analysis
Why CFD is a key enabler for solving process engineering challenges in sewage sludge utilisation

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Simulation for Circulating Fluidized Bed Biomass Gasification, May 15th, 2025
2025-05-15

Tecplot Webinar - Standardizing Reservoir Simulation Workflows with Bookmark Views in Tecplot RS, May 28th, 2025
2025-05-28 12:00 - 13:00
Join Tecplot on May 28th at 10am PT for a webinar on Standardizing Reservoir Simulation Workflows with Bookmark Views in Tecplot RS. The Plot Gallery feature will be used throughout this webinar to demonstrate a full workflow that can help reservoir simulation engineers communicate their data and standardize their plots across multiple runs.
Tecplot will present a case study that will require some deep investigation like looking at fault data, comparing grid solutions, creating arbitrary slices, etc. Throughout the analysis, the “snapshots” of views and data will be bookmarked into the Plot Gallery, which can be used to review the data at the end of the project, batch export images of all views – and finally, this collection of bookmarks can be applied to subsequent simulation runs, which will help keep a standard set of views throughout the entire project!
Register here.

Hi-Key Technology Offline Training - Barracuda Standard Application Training, June 2025
2025-06-03 - 2025-06-04
Beijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd., is CPFD Software’s distributor in the People’s Republic of China. If you are located there and are interested in attending a training, please email them here.
Agenda:

Basic Theory of CPFD
Basic Case Studies of Barracuda
Post-Processing Solutions with Barracuda-Tecplot
Simulation of Coal Gasification with Barracuda
Simulation of Biomass Gasification with Barracuda
Simulation of Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler Combustion with Barracuda

PyTecplot Training: Scripting Basics for Smarter Plotting - June 17, 2025
2025-06-17 22:00
New to PyTecplot? This training is the perfect starting point. We’ll walk through the fundamentals of automating your Tecplot 360 workflows with Python. From installing and getting familiar with the PyTecplot interface to modifying recorded scripts, this session is all about helping you build confidence with PyTecplot. There will be a Q&A at the end of the training session so you can bring your questions straight to our team.

Register here.

Mexico Foundry Congress 2025 - June 19, 2025
2025-06-19
Attend or exhibit at the Mexico Foundry 2025. Three big reasons:

Connect with new foundry customers in Mexico.
Stay updated on competitor activity.
Discover new techniques and potential partnerships.

Highlights:

Insightful sessions on the evolution of national and international foundry markets (2004-2024), Tesla’s new $10B plant and innovations, advancements in 3D and Nano, and more.
Expert talks on eco-friendly materials, advanced sands for mold production, metal pouring techniques, and sustainable investment opportunities in Querétaro.

Join professionals from top Mexican foundries and die casters and stay at the forefront of industry trends!

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Simulation for Bubbling Fluidized Bed Biomass Gasification, June 20th, 2025
2025-06-20

PSRI Annual Meeting June 24-25, 2025
2025-06-24 - 2025-06-25
The PSRI Annual Meeting (Technical Advisory Committee Meeting) takes place June 24th and 25th, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. All employees from any PSRI Member Company are invited to attend to learn about current PSRI Membership Research Programs.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Simulation for Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler Biomass Combustion, July 17th, 2025
2025-07-17

13th National Fluidization Conference and Particle Technology Conference - July 18-20, 2025
2025-07-18 - 2025-07-20
Fluidization technology has been widely used in many fields such as petrochemicals, chemical industry, electric power, metallurgy, medicine, and high-end material preparation. With the rapid advancement of my country’s energy revolution with carbon peak and carbon neutrality as the core, energy saving and efficiency improvement in industrial processes through scientific and technological innovation has become the main way to achieve the dual carbon goals, which has brought new development opportunities and challenges to the development of fluidization technology in my country. As the most important academic forum on fluidization technology in my country, the National Fluidization Conference has played a positive role in promoting the basic research and industrial application of fluidization technology. Since the first National Fluidization Conference was held in Beijing in 1962, the second to twelfth National Fluidization Conferences have been held in Beijing (1980), Taiyuan (1984), Lanzhou (1987), Beijing (1990), Wuhan (1993), Beijing (2013), Changsha (2015), Yinchuan (2017), Dalian (2019), Hangzhou (2021) and Karamay (2023).
In order to summarize and exchange the latest progress in the field of fluidization technology and explore the opportunities and challenges facing fluidization technology under the new situation, the Fluidization Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Particles decided to hold the “13th (2025) National Fluidization Conference and Particle Technology Conference” in Shenyang, Liaoning Province from July 18 to 20, 2025. The conference is hosted by Shenyang University of Chemical Technology. The theme of this conference is “Fluidization Technology Promotes Industrial Transformation and Upgrading”, and the forms of communication include conference reports, theme reports, invited reports, oral reports and posters. Excellent report awards and excellent poster awards will be selected at the conference. Scholars, engineering and technical personnel, enterprise representatives and graduate students engaged in fluidization and particle technology research and application are sincerely welcome to attend the conference!
On July 19 (Saturday), a face-to-face dialogue with experts will be held, inviting a number of academicians and scholars to lead the dialogue with the delegates on many topics such as the opportunities and challenges facing fluidization technology under the new situation.
The conference also set up an exhibition of fluidization application and simulation related instruments, equipment, products, software and applications. Relevant enterprises and research institutes are welcome to actively sign up for the exhibition.

130th Metalcasting Congress - Call for Abstracts, August 15, 2025
2025-08-15
Get ready for a showcase of cutting-edge metalcasting technology, manufacturing innovations, and business insights at the DeVos Place Convention Center in Grand Rapids from April 14 – 16, 2026. Elevate your expertise at Metalcasting Congress 2026.

Abstract submission is open through August 15, 2025 via the AFS Metalcasting Congress Submission Portal. Both technical and management topics are welcome:

Technical Papers & Presentations — covering all issues related to metalcasting, diecasting and foundry operations, including unique in-plant procedures, new technologies, equipment, products and other innovations that have contributed to enhanced metalcasting productivity and quality will be considered. Topics of particular interest include melting and molten metal treatment, gating and risering, casting process innovations, additive manufacturing, quality, automation, Foundry 4.0, artificial intelligence, finishing, sustainability, energy efficiency, environmental, health & safety.

Management Papers and Presentations — relating to diversity and inclusion in metalcasting, leadership development for young professionals, talent acquisition and retention, marketing and branding in the metalcasting industry, workforce training and development, employee wellness and well-being, performance management and feedback, women’s leadership and empowerment in metalcasting, and collaboration and partnership opportunities.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Simulation for Alumina Calcination Furnace, August 21th, 2025
2025-08-21

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Basel Switzerland, September 9-12, 2025
2025-09-09 - 2025-09-12
CPFD will give an invited guest lecture about “Simulation of Industrial-Scale Fluidized Beds and Fluid-Particle Systems” at the PSRI Fluidization Seminar, taking place in Basel Switzerland, September 9-12, 2025
The PSRI Fluidization Seminar is an immersive workshop focused on the intricacies of fluidization processes, covering fundamental hydrodynamics, gas distributor design, circulating fluidized beds, cyclone design, and both dilute and dense-phase conveying. Participants will delve into particle entrainment, erosion, particle attrition, standpipes, and solids flow systems. The seminar features hands-on workshops and prctical insights from industry experts, with materials provided via dedicated tablets to ensure an interactive learning experience.

INCHEM Tokyo 2025 - September 17-19, 2025
2025-09-17 - 2025-09-19
Please join us for INCHEM TOKYO 2025 where Terrabyte, CPFD’s distributor in Japan, will host an exhibit and Peter Blaser, Vice President of CPFD, will present on the topic of Optimizing Fluidized Bed Performance and Reliability with Virtual Reactor Simulation. Peter’s presentation introduces Virtual Reactor technology for the development, scale-up, trouble-shooting and optimization of fluid particle systems. Case studies include oil refining, renewables, and decarbonization applications. Terrabyte will be exhibiting in East 6 Hall, Booth No. 6-Q13.

INCHEM TOKYO is a conglomerate B to B exhibition covering the latest technologies and products for chemical processing, production and plant engineering, held in every 2 years since 1966 as renown chemical industry business platform in Japan. The show is organized by “Japan Management Association” and “Society of Chemical Engineers Japan”, and has always been the place for generating cutting edge solutions for every chemical supply chains. INCHEM TOKYO always welcomes professionals to participate in this technology drive platform for taking chemical industry to the next level.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training - Barracuda Simulation for Silane Preparation, September 18th, 2025
2025-09-18
