CPFD Software

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Web-based Training January 26-30, 2026
2026-01-26 - 2026-01-30
This training is designed to get you up to speed with Barracuda Virtual Reactor in five days. Each day, attendees work through self-led materials and join a pre-scheduled 1-hour web meeting that emphasizes interaction with instructors and other participants. By the end of the course, you’ll have a working understanding of how to use Virtual Reactor™ software, including project setup, operating the solver, and post-processing using Tecplot for Barracuda. Depending on your organization’s needs, our experienced team of engineers and training staff can provide hands-on assistance as you set up your own project in Virtual Reactor during private break-out sessions.
Contact us for pricing information or to register your interest in the class.

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Houston, Texas, February 2-5th, 2026
2026-02-02 - 2026-02-05
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 February 2-5th, 2026 at CityPlace Marriott at Springwoods Village 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.

NARTC - February 10-12, 2026
2026-02-10 00:00 - 2026-02-12 23:59 (America/Chicago)
The North American Refining Technology Conference (NARTC) is the World Refining Association’s regional refining event with a core focus on connecting US refineries with the cutting-edge technologies that will determine the role of refining in the Energy Transition.
CPFD Software will be attending NARTC this year, and we hope to see you there. Please contact us if you would like to specifically arrange an in-person meeting with our team.

Barracuda Application Model Webinar Series: Direct Reduced Iron Shaft Furnace - February 11, 2026
2026-02-11 10:00 - 11:00
UPDATE 02-11-2026: Playback available now.
CPFD Software’s Barracuda Application Model Webinar Series is designed to give engineers and researchers deeper insight into how Barracuda Virtual Reactor is applied to real-world challenges. Application models are sample cases that can be downloaded, run, and customized by the Barracuda Virtual Reactor user community.

This installment in the series will focus on the Direct Reduced Iron Shaft Furnace Application Model, which provides a detailed digital twin of a full-scale DRI shaft furnace based on operating data from a commercial plant in Quebec, Canada. The model captures key process zones, including cooling, reducing, and transition regions, using a moving bed framework with compressible flow, volumetric and discrete reaction chemistry, and user-defined reaction kinetics. Additionally, CPFD will be sharing results from our work with Molten Industries in the development of a novel H₂-DRI shaft furnace.

Join us to learn how this application model can help advance your understanding of subsurface transport and improve production outcomes.

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Web-based Training February 23-27, 2026
2026-02-23 - 2026-02-27

SPE-GCS CFD Group 2026 Annual Symposium - March 6, 2026
2026-03-06
Meet the CPFD Software team at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Gulf Coast Section (GCS)’s Annual Symposium in Sugar Land, TX, on March 6, 2026. CPFD is honored to once again sponsor the symposium, and our very own Saurav Mitra will speak on the topic of “AI-Accelerated Reduced-Order Modeling for Dense Gas/Liquid-Solid Flows Using Barracuda Virtual Reactor (MP-PIC): An Industrial Perspective”. Contact us to pre-arrange a meeting at the event.
About the Symposium: Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we use computing power to solve complex problems. Incorporating AI tools within Physics Based Models is an emerging area which can enable the solution of so far unsolved problems in many application domains, including energy industry. Machine learning has shown promising outlook to several challenging problems in CFD, such as the identification and extraction of hidden features in large-scale flow computations, finding undetected correlations between dynamical features of the flow, and generating synthetic CFD datasets through high-fidelity simulations. These approaches are forming a paradigm shift to change the focus of CFD from time-consuming feature detection to in-depth examinations of such features and enabling deeper insight into the physics involved in complex natural processes. Machine learning has provided numerous opportunities to advance the field of CFD, including to accelerate the computationally expensive direct numerical simulations, to improve turbulence closure modeling and to develop enhanced reduced-order models.
This year’s annual symposium, AI Accelerated Physics Based Modelling and its Role in Energy Industry, is designed to stimulate CFD professional in industry and academia by providing a venue to exchange new ideas and discuss challenges and opportunities as well as expose this newly emerging field to energy industry. The purpose of this symposium is to provide comprehensive information and insights regarding the role of AI accelerated physics-based modelling in the energy industry. With a highly impressive agenda and a prestigious lineup of speakers from various sectors, including the industry, academia, and software vendors, this symposium offers a unique opportunity for experts to share their knowledge and experiences.
The agenda encompasses technical presentations covering a wide range of topics, including but not limited to Scientific Machine Learning, Reduced Order modelling, Physics Based Digital Twin, Multi-Scale Modelling, Physics Informed Neural Network and Hybrid/Fusion Modelling.

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Daejeon, Korea March 16-19th, 2026
2026-03-16 00:00 - 2026-03-19 23:59
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 March 16-19th, 2026 at Hotel Onoma, Daejeon.
All attendees are invited to attend CPFD’s “Emerging Fluidization Applications” workshop held the next day in the same hotel.
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.

Emerging Fluidization Applications Korean Workshop - March 20, 2026
2026-03-20 00:00 - 23:59
CPFD Software, together with KWT Solution Inc., are hosting a workshop focused on emerging applications of fluidization technology, taking place on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Daejeon.
This workshop focuses on newer applications such as hydrogen/ammonia, plastic recycling, gasification (waste and biomass), carbon capture, and material processing (lithium, graphite, graphene, rare earth). Presentations from guest speakers including PSRI, industry, and academia, span topics including:

Overview of emerging application areas
Accelerating commercialization and scale-up via simulation
Case studies and examples
The role of AI, machine learning, and reduced order modeling
Panel discussion on local trends

Engineers, managers, and others are encouraged to attend to learn about the versatility of fluidization for broad and emerging application areas, and how software complements cold-flow, pilot and demonstration plant data to accelerate scale-up while reducing risk.
The workshop takes place at the Hotel Onama (1 Expo-ro, Yuseong District, Daejeon, South Korea). Additional information is available here. If you have any questions, or to register, please email KWT Solution (hjlee@ktwsolution.com) or contact us today.
Workshop attendees seeking a deeper understanding are also encouraged to join PSRI’s four-day Fluidization Seminar, taking place March 16-19 at the same venue, which provides a detailed training spanning fundamental principles to advanced operational techniques.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training: Barracuda Simulation for Circulating Fluidized Bed Biomass Gasification - April 8th, 2026
2026-04-08 00:00 - 23:59
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.

APA: Introducing Arena-flow by CPFD - April 8, 2026
2026-04-08 08:00 - 09:00
CPFD Software is thrilled to introduce Arena-flow to the Siemens APA. Arena-flow by CPFD is custom foundry software that simulates the blowing/shooting and curing of sand cores and molds. It is trusted by OEMs, foundries, core shops, tooling providers, and equipment suppliers to to complement metal flow and solidification software, resulting in optimized processes and cores that are right the first time. Arena-flow replaces trial-and-error with virtual testing to capture, retain, and disseminate core making knowledge, understand and eliminate core and core-quality-related casting scrap, optimize cycle times, minimize dosage, increase uptime, extend tool life, reduce energy requirements, and ultimately cut costs. APA-enabled Siemens customers can now enjoy instant-access to Arena-flow, expanding Siemen’s modeling capabilities and directly complementing existing foundry digital tools.

2026 AIChE Spring Meeting, April 12-16, 2026
2026-04-12 00:00 - 2026-04-16 23:59
The AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety is the key technical conference for practicing chemical and process safety engineers, covering the industry’s critical needs more broadly and deeply than any other conference.

World Downstream Forum - April 13-15, 2026
2026-04-13 - 2026-04-15
in 2026, the World Refining Association celebrates 30 years of connecting downstream leaders, driving innovation, and shaping the future of refining.

To mark this milestone, the Middle East—at the heart of global energy markets with world-class infrastructure and a commitment to transformation—will host the World Downstream Forum, reflecting WRA’s global reach and dedication to the future of the sector.

130th Metalcasting Congress, April 14-16, 2026, Grand Rapids, MI
2026-04-14 - 2026-04-16
CPFD Software will be presenting and exhibiting at Metalcasting Congress 2026. Come visit our exhibit at Booth 515, and tune into our talk – “Cold-Box Core Production Process Optimization using Simulation”!
Presentation DetailsTitle: Cold-Box Core Production Process Optimization using SimulationSession: Molding Methods & MaterialsTime: 8 AM, Wednesday, April 15thLocation: Grand Gallery A
Metalcasting Congress combines the best in learning, networking, and product exploration. Experience in-depth technical sessions on the latest industry advancements, classes taught by some of the world’s preeminent metalcasting experts, panel discussions on leading management techniques, keynotes set to inspire you, networking events to expand your horizons, and a show floor packed with exhibits from some of the world’s leading industry suppliers.
Metalcasting Congress is where casting designers, buyers, and OEM representatives will find sessions aimed at their needs, including casting case studies, reshoring, material properties and selection, and casting quality. Casting Designers & Buyers Track sessions take place right on the exhibit floor near the Cast in North America pavilion, featuring the continent’s leading foundry exhibitors.

PSRI - Fluidization Seminar in Chicago, Illinois, April 14-17th, 2026
2026-04-14 - 2026-04-17
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 14-17th, 2026 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.

Barracuda Application Model Webinar Series: Cement Calciner Decomposition Furnace - April 15, 2026
2026-04-15 10:00 - 11:00
CPFD Software’s Barracuda Application Model Webinar Series is designed to give engineers and researchers deeper insight into how Barracuda Virtual Reactor is applied to real-world challenges. Application models are sample cases that can be downloaded, run, and customized by the Barracuda Virtual Reactor user community.

In this webinar, we will present the Cement Calciner Decomposition Furnace Application Model, which uses Barracuda Virtual Reactor to simulate an industrial-scale calciner based on published plant data from Zhu et al. (2024). The model captures the coupled gas–solid hydrodynamics, coal combustion, devolatilization, and limestone calcination within a fully compressible, reacting multiphase flow framework. Key industrial features are explicitly represented, including kiln exhaust injection, tertiary air staging, multi-level raw meal feeding, coal pneumatic injection, and the riser-to-cyclone transition.

Join us to learn how this application model can help advance your understanding of subsurface transport and improve production outcomes. Learn more and register today!

IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference - April 26-30, 2026
2026-04-26 - 2026-04-30
The best and brightest in the cement industry are coming together in Fort Lauderdale, FL for the 68th annual IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Conference. Join PCA at the most prestigious gathering of cement and concrete industry professionals.

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Web-based Training April 27 - May 1, 2026
2026-04-27 - 2026-05-01

LARTC Ask the Experts - May 12-13, 2026
2026-05-12 - 2026-05-13
LARTC: Ask The Experts isn’t just a conference—it’s a unique, interactive environment where your refinery’s most pressing technical questions get answered. If you’re responsible for refining performance and operational excellence, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

Learn directly from leading refiners and technology providers solving real-world challenges.
Get actionable solutions to optimise operations, enhance yields, and reduce costs.
Network with peers and industry experts who share your challenges and can offer proven insights.
Walk away with implementable strategies to bring immediate improvements to your refinery.

EUBCE - May 19-22, 2022
2026-05-19 - 2026-05-22
For over 40 years, the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition – EUBCE has been a key platform for reflecting on the biomass sector’s evolution and exploring future trends in bioenergy across research, industry, and policy.
As one of the world’s leading biomass events, EUBCE 2025 will bring together 1,500 experts from academia, industry, and policymaking across over 60 countries to explore the latest developments in biomass, bioenergy and the circular bioeconomy. The programme offers opportunities for networking, knowledge exchange, and collaboration through a mix of workshops, exhibitions, and interactive sessions.
Social and professional networking will be supported by a welcome reception, conference dinner, and networking lunches. The exhibition area will highlight EU-funded projects and feature an exhibition forum designed to foster connections between researchers, academic institutions, and industry leaders.
The Scientific Conference Programme is coordinated by the European Commission Joint Research Centre and covers the entire range of biomass research, technologies and applications focusing on bringing the latest scientific and technological research trends to the market, with the support of Circular Bio-Based Europe.

Hi-Key Technology Online Training: Barracuda Simulation for Alumina Calcination Furnace - May 20th, 2026
2026-05-20 00:00 - 23:59

Webinar: Getting Started with Virtual Reactor 26.0 - May 20, 2026
2026-05-20 10:00 - 11:00
Update May 20, 2026: Webinar playback available here.
CPFD will host a webinar on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at 10 am CDT: Getting Started with Virtual Reactor 26.0. Register for the webinar to join us and learn about the major features and enhancements of the Barracuda Virtual Reactor 26.0 release, including:

Elastic Dense Collision Model
Particle Resolution Distribution
Injection BCs as Sinks
Faster Baffle Processing
Tecplot 2025 R2 with New Vulkan Graphics Engine

There will be plenty of time for Q&A at the end of the webinar.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The webinar will be recorded and available for playback after the live presentation.

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Web-based Training June 1-5, 2026
2026-06-01 - 2026-06-05

Realize LIVE Americas 2026 - June 1-4, 2026
2026-06-01 00:00 - 2026-06-04 23:59
CPFD Software will be exhibiting at Realize LIVE Americas. Visit booths 196 and 197 to learn how you can leverage Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow through the Siemens APA. In addition to exhibiting, CPFD will also present as part of a dedicated APA session in the conference Knowledge Theater at 2:15 PM on Monday, June 1st.
Realize LIVE is Siemens Digital Industries Software’s premier customer event. It brings together a global community of Siemens customers, partners, and experts to learn, connect and accelerate their digital transformation. It’s where the brightest minds in manufacturing and design gather to share insights, collaborate on solutions, and explore the future of digital transformation, focusing on the latest software innovations, best practices, and industry trends across various domains, including product design, manufacturing, and lifecycle management.

ERTC Ask the Experts - June 15-18, 2026
2026-06-15 - 2026-06-18
ERTC: Ask The Experts isn’t just a conference—it’s a unique, interactive environment where your refinery’s most pressing technical questions get answered.

Learn directly from leading refiners and technology providers solving real-world challenges.
Get actionable solutions to optimise operations, enhance yields, and reduce costs.
Network with peers and industry experts who share your challenges and can offer proven insights.
Walk away with implementable strategies to bring immediate improvements to your refinery.

If you’re responsible for refining performance and operational excellence, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.

PSRI - TAC Annual Meeting June 23-24, 2026
2026-06-23 00:00 - 2026-06-24 23:59
The PSRI Annual Meeting (Technical Advisory Committee Meeting) takes place June 23-24, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. All employees from any PSRI Member Company are invited to attend to learn about current PSRI Membership Research Programs. Learn more and register here.
Additionally, members of the global Barracuda Virtual Reactor user community attending the PSRI meeting are encouraged to stay for Barracuda Virtual Reactor Users’ Conference 2026, immediately following the PSRI Annual Meeting in the same venue. Learn more about #BVRUC26 and register here.

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Users' Conference 2026: June 24-26, 2026
2026-06-24 00:00 - 2026-06-26 23:59
Joinn CPFD Software and the global Barracuda Virtual Reactor user community from June 24 – 26, 2026 at Barracuda Virtual Reactor Users’ Conference 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The conference will take place immediately following the PSRI Technical Committee Meeting.
Additional details can be found on the Barracuda Virtual Reactor Users’ Conference 2026 page, and be sure to check back regularly for more information about the agenda, events, and speaking opportunities. And don’t hesitate to contact us now with any questions or suggestions.

FEDSM - July 26-29, 2026
2026-07-26 00:00 - 2026-07-29 23:59
CPFD Software will participate in the ASME 2026 Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (FEDSM), taking place July 26–29, 2026, in Bellevue, Washington. As one of the premier conferences for fluid mechanics and fluid engineering, FEDSM brings together researchers and industry professionals to present advances in computational methods, experimental techniques, and engineering applications.
As part of the technical program, Saurav Mitra, Senior Staff Engineer at CPFD Software, will present the paper “Graph Neural Network Reduced-Order Models for Multiphase CFD: Fluidized Bed and Hydraulic Fracturing Applications,” co-authored by Shashank K. Karra, Keshav Ramchandran, and James Parker.
The Fluids Engineering Division (FED) of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) was founded in 1926 as the Hydraulic Division of the Society. Following the advances and trends in the field, the name of the Division was changed to the Fluids Engineering Division (FED) in 1962. Nine years later, the Division launched its own journal, the Journal of Fluids Engineering, which is now considered as one of the leading journals in the subject of engineering applications of Fluid Mechanics. Every year FED organizes the Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (FEDSM).

Hi-Key Technology Online Training: Barracuda Simulation for Catalyst Regenerator - August 12th, 2026
2026-08-12 00:00 - 23:59

Barracuda Virtual Reactor Web-based Training August 17-21, 2026
2026-08-17 - 2026-08-21

tcbiomass Training: Fundamentals of Thermochemical Conversion of Biomass - August 24, 2026
2026-08-24 10:00 - 17:00
This 1-day course, directly before the tcbiomass+ conference, reviews the fundamentals of biomass conversion. This fundamental course will provide background information on feedstock preparation, gasification, pyrolysis, upgrading, and technoeconomics taught by experts from around the world. It is designed to help those who are new to thermochemical biomass conversion gain a good understanding of the entire field. Since this course covers a wide range of thermochemical biomass conversion technology, it can also be valuable for those who are knowledgeable in one biomass conversion area to learn about competitive biomass conversion technologies. It’s also helpful for students interested in potentially working in these growing industries. Investors can also gain insights into the technical basis and challenges of biomass and waste conversion.
CPFD Software are honored to support GTI Energy and National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL) team with this training course by providing a guest lecture on fluid bed modeling and solid mixing.
