CPFD Software
CPFD Software licenses Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow, GPU-accelerated Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics software for simulating industrial fluid-particle systems and sand core production, serving enterprise customers in refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, and metal casting.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersAlbuquerque, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What CPFD Software does
CPFD Software (legally CPFD, LLC) is a privately-held US engineering software company specializing in Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics (CPFD) multiphase simulation, headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company develops and licenses Barracuda Virtual Reactor, a general-purpose simulation tool for three-dimensional, transient, fluid-particle hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and chemical reactions in industrial fluidized bed reactors, and Arena-flow, a specialty product that simulates sand core and mold production for the metal casting industry. Both products run on NVIDIA GPU-accelerated compute using the proprietary MP-PIC (Multiphase Particle-in-Cell) numerical method, and are supported by a portfolio of validated application models covering FCCU/refining, petrochemicals, gasification, materials and chemicals, power generation, sand cores, clean technologies/renewables, and general fluidization research.
The company serves enterprise customers including FLSmidth, VIVA Energy Australia, Babcock & Wilcox, and PSRI consortium members, and operates a hybrid business model combining on-premise and cloud-deployed software licensing (perpetual and subscription), professional services, multi-year training and technology transfer programs, and collaborative R&D partnerships. Go-to-market blends enterprise field sales, exclusive geographic distribution (Beijing Hi-key Technology for the People's Republic of China), and a recently added channel relationship with Siemens Digital Industries Software via the Additive Manufacturing Partner Alliance (APA). Marketing is anchored on industry conferences (AIChE, PSRI, AFPM Summit, tcbiomass, FEDSM), an annual Users' Conference, application-model webinars, and a recognized awards profile (Hydrocarbon Processing Best Software Technology, IChemE Highly Commended, AFS/WFO Foundry Awards).
CPFD Software firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CPFD Software
- Legal name
- CPFD, LLC
- Website
- https://cpfd-software.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CPFD Software licenses Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow, GPU-accelerated Computational Particle Fluid Dynamics software for simulating industrial fluid-particle systems and sand core production, serving enterprise customers in refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, and metal casting.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where CPFD Software is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albuquerque
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
CPFD Software business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licensing - Virtual Reactor: Virtual Reactor licenses can be deployed at customer facilities or seamlessly on the cloud. Perpetual or subscription licensing model for enterprise deployment.
- Software Licensing - Cloud Deployment: Cloud-based deployment option for Virtual Reactor licenses providing flexible access without on-premise infrastructure.
- Professional Services: Project-based services delivered by experienced engineers for customer projects when they prefer to focus on particular outcomes.
- Training and Technology Transfer: Introductory training courses and technology transfer programs combining services with software licensing. Five-day web-based training programs and customized private training sessions.
- R&D Partnerships: Collaborative R&D partnerships with global researchers pushing boundaries of fluidization and simulation technology.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Virtual Reactor - On-Premise License |
| Subscription | Annual | Virtual Reactor - Cloud License |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Web-based Training |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Technology Transfer Program |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
CPFD Software product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CPFD Software develops, licenses, and supports the Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow multiphase simulation software products for industrial fluid-particle systems. The company sells software licenses (perpetual or subscription, on-premise or cloud) and complements them with professional engineering services, training, and R&D partnerships for customers in refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, materials, and metal casting.
Product overview
CPFD Software offers a portfolio of physics-based engineering simulation software focused on multiphase fluid-particle systems. The core products are Barracuda Virtual Reactor (general-purpose software for fluid-particle hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and chemical reactions in industrial fluidized bed reactors) and Arena-flow (specialty software for sand core and mold simulation in metal casting). Both products are complemented by software licensing options (on-premises or cloud deployment), professional engineering services, training programs, and R&D partnerships. The company serves industries including refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, materials processing, and foundry/metal casting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Barracuda Virtual Reactor: General purpose software for simulating three-dimensional, transient, fluid-particle hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and chemical reactions in industrial fluidized bed reactors and other fluid-particle systems
- Arena-flow
Products and services
- Barracuda Virtual Reactor General-purpose simulation software for three-dimensional, transient, fluid-particle hydrodynamics, heat transfer, and chemical reactions in industrial fluidized bed reactors and other fluid-particle systems, with NVIDIA GPU acceleration. Licensed to enterprise customers in refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, materials & chemicals, clean technologies, and research.
- Arena-flow Specialty simulation software for the metal casting industry that models the production of sand cores and molds, including air-driven blowing/shooting and curing. Used by foundries, OEMs, core shops, tooling providers, and equipment suppliers to reduce casting scrap, trial-and-error, and cycle time.
- Software Licensing (On-Premise and Cloud) Perpetual and subscription software licensing for Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow, available through on-premise deployment at customer facilities or cloud-based deployment for flexible access without on-premise infrastructure. Annual billing cadence.
- Professional Services Project-based engineering services delivered by experienced CPFD engineers for customers that prefer to focus on particular outcomes rather than perform simulation work in-house.
- Training and Technology Transfer Introductory web-based training courses (five-day programs with self-led materials and scheduled web meetings) plus customized technology transfer programs combining services with software licensing to help users adopt Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow and build internal capability.
- R&D Partnerships Collaborative research and development partnerships with global researchers pushing the boundaries of fluidization and simulation technology, combining complementary expertise on emerging multiphase applications.
Quantifiable outcome
- Explored wider range of possibilities than physical testing could achieve for scaling up to industrial size
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CPFD Software
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CPFD Software technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature8 records
CPFD Software partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Siemens Digital Industries SoftwarecoreCPFD Software introduced Arena-flow to the Siemens APA (Additive Manufacturing Partner Alliance), making Arena-flow available through Siemens' ecosystem. APA-enabled Siemens customers can enjoy instant access to Arena-flow, expanding CPFD's modeling capabilities and directly complementing Siemens' existing foundry digital tools including metal flow and solidification software.
- KWT Solution Inc.minorKWT Solution Inc. partnered with CPFD Software to host the Emerging Fluidization Applications Korean Workshop in Daejeon, South Korea. The workshop focused on newer applications such as hydrogen/ammonia, plastic recycling, gasification, carbon capture, and material processing.
- Beijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd.coreBeijing Hi-key Technology Co. Ltd. serves as CPFD Software's exclusive distributor in the People's Republic of China. The partnership enables local sales, training, and customer support for Chinese customers. Hi-key Technology organizes regular online training sessions covering specialized CPFD applications including biomass gasification, chemical vapor deposition of silicon, catalyst regenerator simulation, and other specialized topics.
- PSRI (Particulate Solid Research Inc.)corePSRI is a professional consortium focused on fluidization research and technology. CPFD Software collaborates with PSRI through joint events including the PSRI Fluidization Seminar where CPFD provides guest lectures, and the annual PSRI TAC Annual Meeting. PSRI members are encouraged to attend the Barracuda Virtual Reactor Users' Conference. CPFD staff co-author presentations with PSRI researchers.
- GTI Energy / National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR, formerly NREL)minorCPFD Software supports GTI Energy and NLR team by providing a guest lecture on fluid bed modeling and solid mixing as part of the tcbiomass training course on fundamentals of thermochemical conversion of biomass.
- Molten IndustriesminorCPFD collaborated with Molten Industries in the development of a novel H2-DRI (hydrogen-based Direct Reduced Iron) shaft furnace model using Barracuda Virtual Reactor.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CPFD Software competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ESI Group: Provider of ProCAST and other casting/foundry simulation tools used by foundries, OEMs, and casting buyers. Directly competes with Arena-flow for metal casting sand-core and mold simulation wallet share.
- Convergent Science: Developer of CONVERGE CFD software, a multiphase computational fluid dynamics platform widely used in engine, combustion, and chemical reactor applications—directly overlapping CPFD's fluid-particle simulation niche with similar depth and customer overlap in chemical/process engineering.
- Flow Science: Developer of FLOW-3D and FLOW-3D Cast, CFD and casting simulation software used across foundries and industrial process applications. An active competitor for Arena-flow in metal casting and for multiphase CFD in adjacent industrial segments.
- MAGMA (MAGMA5): German developer of MAGMA5, a long-established metal casting and foundry simulation suite. Directly competes with Arena-flow in sand core/mold simulation, filling and solidification for foundries and OEMs.
Broad incumbents
- Dassault Systèmes (SIMULIA): SIMULIA portfolio (PowerFLOW, XFlow, Abaqus CFD) covers a broad range of fluid and multiphysics simulation needs for industrial customers, including some particle-based modeling—competing for the same engineering simulation wallet share as CPFD.
- Altair (EDEM / Altair CFD): Acquired DEM Solutions and integrates particle-flow simulation (EDEM) with broader CAE packages. EDEM is a close adjacent tool to Barracuda Virtual Reactor's particle-handling capabilities, serving similar bulk-solids and process-engineering customers.
- Siemens Digital Industries Software: Offers Simcenter STAR-CCM+ and STAR-CD for multiphase CFD and a foundry digital thread (including solidification/metal-flow). Both a reseller partner (via the Additive Manufacturing Partner Alliance for Arena-flow) and a potential competitor in multiphase and casting simulation.
- COMSOL: Multiphysics simulation platform used in research and industrial R&D; relevant to CPFD's research/general-fluidization and emerging clean-tech applications where flexible multiphysics modeling is required.
- Ansys: Provider of Ansys Fluent and Fluent Multiphase, the broadest general-purpose CFD platform with Eulerian-Lagrangian particle modeling. Fluent competes with Barracuda Virtual Reactor for multiphase flow simulation budget, particularly where customers standardize on a single suite.
Emerging players
- Rocky DEM (by CADFEM/Particle Dynamics): Specialized Discrete Element Method (DEM) software for particle and granular flow simulation. Complements but partially overlaps Barracuda Virtual Reactor for particle-handling applications, particularly in mining, metals, and bulk materials handling.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CPFD Software social profiles
Digital presenceCPFD Software financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CPFD Software leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CPFD Software funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CPFD Software M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CPFD Software
What does CPFD Software do?
CPFD Software develops, licenses, and supports the Barracuda Virtual Reactor and Arena-flow multiphase simulation software products for industrial fluid-particle systems. The company sells software licenses (perpetual or subscription, on-premise or cloud) and complements them with professional engineering services, training, and R&D partnerships for customers in refining, petrochemicals, gasification, power generation, materials, and metal casting.
Is CPFD Software a public or private company?
CPFD Software is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CPFD Software founded?
CPFD Software was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CPFD Software based?
CPFD Software is headquartered in Albuquerque, United States, in the North America region.
How does CPFD Software make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Software Licensing - Virtual Reactor is the primary driver. The others are software Licensing - Cloud Deployment, professional Services, training and Technology Transfer and R&D Partnerships.
Who are CPFD Software's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ESI Group, Convergent Science, Flow Science and MAGMA (MAGMA5). Broad incumbents are Dassault Systèmes (SIMULIA), Altair (EDEM / Altair CFD), Siemens Digital Industries Software, COMSOL and Ansys. Rocky DEM (by CADFEM/Particle Dynamics) is listed as an emerging player.
Does CPFD Software have an API?
No public API is recorded for CPFD Software.