Reactive CFD simulation of an FCC regenerator

A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model including coke combustion and heat transfer has been developed of the fluidised bed in the regenerator vessel of the fluidised bed catalytic cracker unit (FCCU) at the BP Bulwer Island Refinery. The model has been used to test various design modifications aimed at improving oxygen utilisation efficiency by reducing short‐circuiting of solids through the vessel. A catalyst return distributor design has been determined that gives significantly better mixing, and hence significantly reduced breakthrough of oxygen and CO into the freeboard compared with the existing design. When the modification was implemented at the plant, excess O 2 was reduced significantly Copyright © 2007 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.