Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) Combustors utilize a fluidized bed within the furnace to provide numerous advantages, including extremely low NOx emissions, flex fuel capabilities, plus the addition of limestone particulates can capture 98% of the sulfur. Barracuda has been used to successfully understand complex furnace behavior such as fuel-air residence times, solids recirculation, bed entrainment rates and local wear.  A CFB unit’s large cyclone can be grade-optimized; and the loop seal upset behavior can be mitigated.

Gasification of coal and/or biomass material produces ‘syngas’ CO and H2 for fuel or chemical plant feedstock. Barracuda is being used today to study gas-solids phenomena inside an experimental transport gasifier at DOE’s National Energy Technology Lab.  It is also being applied to large deepbed gasifiers with a static bed height of over 30 meters of coke.  TRI, Inc. uses Barracuda for a state-of-the-art biomass thermochemical conversion design employing sand as the heat transfer medium, a multi-particle formulation. 

Barracuda’s Chemical Reactions module quantifies the production yields along with an accurate tally of solids consumption; the reactions automatically results in particulate size reduction which effects fluidization and elutriation rates.

Plant Components→ Issues
Furnace geometry →  optimize fuel/air mixing
Cyclones →  efficiency and reliability
Loop Seal → aeration / plugging / clearing
Feedline / Valves / Withdrawal →  location, wear, number
Combustor Startup →  full loop performance
Economics → conversion, yields

Plant Phenomena
Fluid bed expansion / density
Bed carryover (entrainment) rate & PSD
Segregation / recirc of size/materials (ash)
Combustion
Shrinking core
Thermal performance of gas & solids
Stability, startup, off-normal transient behavior