ANSYS > Case Studies > Holcim (Brazil) S.A. - Fabrica Barroso: Simulation Reduces Operational Testing Costs of Dynamic Separators by Approximately 30 Percent

Holcim (Brazil) S.A. - Fabrica Barroso: Simulation Reduces Operational Testing Costs of Dynamic Separators by Approximately 30 Percent

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Sensors - Liquid Detection Sensors

Applicable Industries

Cement
Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Digital Twin
Virtual Reality

Services

Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Holcim (Brazil) S.A. is a leading global supplier of cement, aggregates, and concrete products in Brazil. The company has an annual cement production capacity of five million tons and operates four cement plants, two aggregates quarries, and 55 concrete plants. These operations employ more than 1,600 people across nine regions. To sustain its global position, the company is always on the lookout for technology gains that can reduce operational costs and increase production efficiency.

The Challenge

Holcim (Brazil) S.A., a leading global supplier of cement, aggregates, and concrete products in Brazil, was facing a challenge in the regulation of particle size used in creating cement. The size of these particles can significantly affect the efficiency of the cement production line. The company was seeking technology gains that could reduce operational costs and increase production efficiency. The challenge was to replace the expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error testing of separator performance with computer modeling. They also needed to simulate and classify the particles’ paths as a function of particle diameter to consider possible improvements that would increase separation efficiency.

The Solution

To address these challenges, Holcim brought in Engineering Simulation and Scientific Software Ltda. (ESSS), a leading engineering simulation solution company based in Brazil. With the support of ESSS, Holcim chose ANSYS CFX technology to analyze the gas–solid flow for one of their first-generation, traditional-design dynamic separators. A mesh of 2.7 million nodes was generated using ANSYS ICEM CFD meshing software. The simulation of the stationary state was performed using the ANSYS CFX SST turbulence model for the continuous phase. The dispersed phase was modeled using the Lagrangian approach with one-way coupling to the continuous phase. The dispersion of particles due to turbulence was accounted for in the simulations, along with the particle drag and weight.

Operational Impact

The use of ANSYS CFX technology and the support of ESSS allowed Holcim engineers to gain a better understanding of complex flow paths, influenced by changes in internal geometry and operating conditions. This understanding would have otherwise only been achieved through extensive trial-and-error testing. The engineers were also able to evaluate equipment modifications and identify improvements without repeated physical modifications of existing equipment. This not only reduced the cost of operational testing but also increased the efficiency of the dynamic separator.

Quantitative Benefit

Reduced the cost of operational testing by approximately 30 percent
Generated a mesh of 2.7 million nodes using ANSYS ICEM CFD meshing software
Simulated the stationary state using the ANSYS CFX SST turbulence model for the continuous phase