A full-loop circulating fluidized bed experimental carbon capture unit was constructed at the US DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to study gas-particle flow behavior and provide data against which math-based simulation tools could be compared. This paper compares cold-flow experimental results with math-based simulation results using the commercially-available Barracuda software package. The simulation was three-dimensional, and the entire full-loop system was simulated. The gas-particle flow behavior predicted by the simulation matched well with video recordings of the experiment. Pressure drop predictions across several key fluidized bed vessels also showed good agreement between simulation and experiment. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.