A fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is critical to the performance of many refineries, providing flexibility to process a wide variety of feedstocks with customizable selectivity producing a wide range of products. Conversely, an underperforming FCCU can negatively influence the performance and economics of the entire refinery.
CPFD’s Barracuda Virtual Reactor has become the standard tool for increasing the reliability and performance of FCCUs. Whether you are a refiner or technology licensor, Barracuda Virtual Reactor is the simulation tool of choice to analyze all major components of the FCCU including the regenerator, stripper, riser, cyclones systems, and standpipes.
Typical simulation objectives include:
Refiners rely on CPFD’s software technology, services, and consulting to address issues such as:
FCCU Riser Simulation
FCCU Regenerator Simulation
Barracuda Virtual Reactor solutions for FCCU applications are accelerated by NVIDIA GPU and Multi-GPU technology.
This video demonstrates the discrete bubble modeling feature introduced in Barracuda Virtual Reactor 22.1. The simulation models an ebullated bed reactor with a fluidized bed of catalyst particles in liquid phase domain, with discrete gas bubbles injected.
This article by engineers at TechnipFMC Process Technology and Suncor Energy, discusses an FCC regenerator revamp at the Suncor Edmonton refinery, aimed to incorporate advanced design features to mitigate operational challenges and improve reliability.
Application of a newly designed spent catalyst distributor improves spent catalyst distribution, coke combustion and bed temperatures in the FCC in this article by Raj Singh, Paul Marchant and Steve Shimoda of TechnipFMC Process Technology.
Surprises are not always a good thing, especially during plant turnarounds. This article, from the September 2019 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering, discusses how simulations can be a critical turnaround risk reduction tool.
The article, featured in the April 2019 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering, examines the role of simulation in the digital transformation of modern refineries.
This article, coauthored by engineers Viva Energy Australia and CPFD Software, outlines how Barracuda Virtual Reactor simulations were used to address a problem that impacted overall refinery economics by tens of thousands of dollars per day.
This paper is focused on how simulation is used as a tool for knowledge management of lessons learned from current and historical FCCU operations.
This paper looks at how a team including Peccatiello Engineering, Emtrol-Buell Technologies, and CPFD came together to solve an exceptionally challenging case of FCC regenerator maldistribution.
This paper, first presented at the 2016 AFPM Annual Meeting, provides an overview of general and localized afterburn, and discusses techniques for effective troubleshooting.
Engineers from CPFD and MPC report on the use of Barracuda to perform virtual testing on potential redesigns of FCC reactor internals at MPC’s Catlettsburg Refinery.