Project Outcome
Nth Cycle is a metal refining company that uses electro-extraction technology to recover critical metals from industrial scrap, low-grade minerals and mining waste streams. Nth Cycle is closing the mining production loop and making metals infinitely reusable. The project aims to use CFD to improve the design and performance of their gas transporting pipes and Core Technology for critical material refining, with objectives to enhance flow distribution, improve manufacturability, and optimize overall performance.
The work focused on analyzing four key components:  production gas dilution, production gas purging, liquid flow distribution in the Core Technology, and ambient gas diffusion at commercial scales. For production gas dilution, simulations of the mixing of production gasses with air in system piping were conducted, analyzing velocity and concentration profiles for various inlet configurations. Production gas purging simulations explored methods to efficiently remove production gasses from system piping, leading to improved purging efficiency through geometric modifications. Analysis of liquid flow through distribution networks within Nth Cycle’s core technology was performed, with multiple design iterations to achieve more uniform flow distribution. Additionally, ambient gas diffusion at commercial scales was simulated to provide operational insights.
Design concepts were modeled in Autodesk Fusion 360 and Autodesk CFD was used to perform the CFD simulations. The computational domain used in the CFD analysis was modeled to mirror real-world operating conditions in the lab and plant settings. Key deliverables were the CAD Files, CFD Files, CFD outcome report and recommendations on the simulation results. The project demonstrated the effective use of CFD analysis in optimizing complex fluid systems, resulting in promising improvements for the efficiency and safety of Nth Cycle’s core technology and plant operations.
Shanmugam Rengaswamy Murugan/Nth Cycle
