Hatch has for many years specialized in fluidized bed reactor design. Fluid bed vessels are used for treating particulate solids in many applications:

• Drying wet raw materials or products
• Classification of solids into specific size fractions
• Heat treatment for roasting or calcining
• Chemical reactions with gases or liquids

Metallurgical ores and concentrates, specialty chemicals and organic materials are treated in the fluid beds. The treatment conditions vary from ambient (for classification) to high-temperature (for roasting) and high-pressure (for chemical reactions).

Hatch's Fluidization Technology Group (FTG) prepares detailed equipment engineering used by fabricators to manufacture fluidized bed units.

Hatch has developed an efficient procedure for in-house design of fluid bed equipment in the following areas:

• Mechanical Equipment
• Refractory Design
• Off-gas Handling Systems

Hatch FTG then:

• identifies the proper fluidization technology for specific client needs
• facilitates pilot-plant testing and scale-up
• sizes single and multiple-stage fluid beds
• prepares equipment specifications and performs procurement services

Hatch provides:

• detailed engineering design of fluid beds and their refractories for custom design equipment
• constructs, commissions, and assists clients with start-ups
• conducts field surveys to assess existing plants for troubleshooting and optimization