Modeling and Study of Hydrodynamic flow within the Preneutralizer Reactor using CFD Approach

Mathematical modelling and numerical simulations are widely used in the petrochemical industries for operator training, design, and process optimization. However, there is a lack of rigorous numerical modelling and simulations in the phosphate fertilizer industry. There exist many challenges in the production systems of phosphate fertilizers including (i) multiphase flows in the system involving liquids, solids or gases, (ii) particles with different size distributions, and (iii) dynamic variations in the physical properties including rheology and thermodynamic behavior. In the current study, using well-established techniques from computational fluid dynamics, we develop a model for the numerical simulation of multiphase flows in a conditioner operation unit used in the phosphate fertilizers facilities. The proposed model deals with the first step in the process, consisting on the preneutralizer, and it uses the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations for modeling turbulent flow in the system. The preneutralization consist on a partial reaction between ammonia and phosphoric acid. Numerical results are presented for several scenarios and we particularly show the importance of the baffles on eliminating vortices, and also their effect on the different hydrodynamic performance criteria. This approach can be used to describe the behavior of reaction systems within this type of industrial plants and the analysis of the other sub-process of the fertilizer plant is an ongoing work.