Environment-Friendly Refining /deNOx Processes utilizing Innovative Nano-structured Micro/Mesoporous Catalytic Materials

Funding: GSRT (Bilateral Greek-USA program USA-032)

Participants: CERTH/CPERI, Simtec

During participation in the project, Simtec developed a CFD model for the denitrification (deNOx) process in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) regenerator. This empowered the studies on decreasing the total emitted NOx levels, as a primary concern for the environmentally friendly operation of the FCC unit. Ansys Fluent was used to simulate the dense, reacting, gas–solid flow in the FCC regenerator simulated along with the subsequent gas phase deNOx process in the Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) unit. One of the main targets of the project was to estimate the removal of NOx from the exhaust gases of the FCC regenerator.

A detailed kinetic mechanism was assembled, consisting of 132 species and 769 elementary reactions. The reduced reaction mechanism was created with Ansys Chemkin and consisted of 23 species and 92 reactions. The developed model was employed in Fluent to assess existing catalytic data and predict the overall performance of catalytic systems under fluidized bed conditions. It should be noted that this was the first successful simulation of an FCC regenerator employing multiphase CFD flow modelling coupled with detailed gas phase chemistry.

Ansys tools: Ansys Fluent, Ansys Chemkin