316d Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics Simulations and Validation for Cyclones: High and Low Loadings

Ken Williams1, Dale Snider1, Vittorio Badalassi1, S. B. Reddy Karri2, Ted M. Knowlton2, and Ray A. Cocco3. (1) ARENA-FLOW, LLC, 10899 Montgomery Blvd. NE, Suite B, Albuquerque, NM 87111, (2) P.S.R.I., 4201 W. 36ht Street, Suite 200, Chiacago, IL 60632, (3) Particulate Solids Research, Inc., 4201 West 36th Street, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60632

Cyclones are ubiquitous devices in unit operations across many chemical process industries (CPI).  They are deceptively simple devices that are widely known to be problematic in actual practice.  Typical problems are appriori prediction of the efficiency as a function of particle sizes, loading and geometry variations and wall wear. The commercial Barracuda-CPFDTM software package was validated against a range of experimental data from PSRI for high-loadings in a 50 cm diameter unit, and from Hoffman's data in a 20 cm light-loading unit typical of tertiary cyclones. The new Barracuda commercial software is an advanced math-based computational particle-fluid dynamics (CPFDTM) tool developed for fast and accurate simulation of dense-phase solids flows within industry-scale CPI units.  The software's numerical methodology uses a direct element method wherein solids are modeled as discrete particles with proper size and density distributions, and the fluid is modeled as a continuum.   This numerical technique, CPFD, has enabled the accurate simulation of particle size effects and the near closepacking at the walls in concert with the complex, three-dimensional gas flow and vortex behavior.  Comparisons are made to both high- and low-loading cyclone data sets for the overall efficiency, the detailed grade efficiency, and the pressures drops. Also given are the calculations of local wall wear and particle attrition due to variations in loadings.  Finally, detailed results are presented for a 1-meter diameter, primary commercial cyclone with a fully submerged 10-meter dipleg.


Web Page: www.barracuda-cpfd.com