Case Study: Holcim (Brazil) achieves 30% reduction in operational testing costs with ANSYS CFX

Simulation Reduces Operational Testing Costs of Dynamic Separators by Approximately 30 Percent

Holcim (Brazil) S.A., a leading cement, aggregates and concrete supplier with a five‑million‑ton annual cement capacity, needed to analyze gas–solid flow in a first‑generation dynamic separator to reduce expensive, time‑consuming trial‑and‑error testing and improve particle‑size classification. Holcim worked with ESSS and chose ANSYS solutions — specifically ANSYS CFX and ANSYS ICEM CFD — to model particle paths and separator performance.

Using ANSYS ICEM CFD to create a 2.7 million‑node mesh and ANSYS CFX (SST turbulence model with a Lagrangian one‑way coupled dispersed phase), the team modeled turbulence‑induced particle dispersion, drag and weight to evaluate internal geometry and operating changes. The ANSYS simulations enabled Holcim to compare classification effects, test “what‑if” scenarios without physical modifications, and identify improvements that reduced operational testing costs by approximately 30%.

Holcim

Tetys Rocha

Production Manager