STAR-CD has recently been used by Bateman Titaco to calculate the thermo-fluids process in a Circulating Fluidised Bed (CFB) pilot plant on behalf of Mintek, an internationally respected provider of technology to the minerals and metallurgical industries.

The CFB pilot plant for chlorinating titanium slag, with coke as a reductant, forms part of a Mintek research project funded by South Africa's Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Techcnology (DACST). This plant will comprise a CFB reactor, gas preheater, feed system, cyclone for dust removal, condensers,prescrubber and afterburner. The CFB concept is an ideal thermo-fluid process to be simulated with STAR-CD, as different designs and variables are investigated.

The modelling consisted of an air-cooled FeCl3 condenser/cyclone and, for simulation purposes, all processes were modelled with nitrogen gas whose density and specific heat values changing with temperature. The aim of the simulation was to determine whether the outlet gas temperature would be between 200 - 250 °C , to prevent titanium tetrachloride gas condensing in the FeCl3 condenser/cyclone. The condenser did not achieve these values and a cyclone was proposed. The numerical meshes and temperature distribution results are shown in figures 1 to 4 for the condenser and cyclone respectively.