Improved Hydrodynamics and CFD-FEM Integration for High-Performance Annular Reactors: A Comprehensive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64229/9b7j0617Keywords:
Annular reactor, CFD, FEM, Laminar flow, Enhanced hydrodynamics, Simulation, Structural analysisAbstract
Enhanced hydrodynamics has emerged as a powerful strategy for improving mixing, Residence Time Distribution (RTD), and coupled mass-heat transfer within annular reactors, offering substantial benefits for both plug-flow and continuous operation modes. By promoting superior flow distribution and turbulence control, hydrodynamic intensification enables higher reaction efficiencies, improved scalability, and greater energy economy__attributes that increasingly position annular reactors as attractive platforms for chemical, environmental, and energy-related processes. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made in understanding the fundamental hydrodynamic behaviour of annular configurations, driven largely by advances in high-fidelity numerical tools. This review synthesizes current developments in the field, with emphasis on the role of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and coupled CFD-Finite Element Method (CFD-FEM) frameworks in evaluating flow regimes, transport mechanisms, and reactor-structure interactions. By critically examining recent modelling approaches, design innovations, and performance metrics, the review highlights how computational insights are supporting the evolution of compact, high-efficiency, and energy-optimized annular reactor technologies. The article also identifies key challenges, methodological limitations, and future opportunities for integrating advanced simulations with experimental validation to accelerate the adoption of annular reactors in next-generation process systems.
References
[1]Zheng H, Zheng Y, Zhu J. Recent developments in hydrodynamic cavitation reactors: Cavitation mechanism, reactor design, and applications. Engineering, 2022, 19, 180-198. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2022.04.027
[2]Roupp GB, Nico JA, Annangi S, Changrani R, Annapragada R. Two-flux radiation-field model for an annular packed-bed photocatalytic oxidation reactor. AIChE Journal, 1997, 43(3), 792-801. DOI: 10.1002/aic.690430324
[3]Rahman MS. Computational fluid dynamics for predicting and controlling fluid flow in industrial equipment. European Journal of Advances in Engineering and Technology, 2024, 11(9), 1-9.
[4]Zhong H, Ni D, Gao B, Li Z, Yu X. Enhanced quantitative methodology for energy loss analysis and its application to transient annular vortex of an annular-casing nuclear reactor coolant pump. Physics of Fluids, 2025, 37(7), 075125. DOI: 10.1063/5.0276788
[5]Fonte CP, Braga M, Vasile R, Rolland M, Brunet-Errard L, Pitault I, et al. CFD for the study of the multiphase flow and mass transfer in a stirred tank reactor for the screening of shaped catalysts. 2014 AIChE annual meeting, 2014.
[6]Tiwari H, Pophali GR. Review of improved hydrodynamics in Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs) for wastewater treatment: A way forward. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2025, 13(3), 116751. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2025.116751
[7]Shah RK, London AL. Laminar flow forced convection in ducts: a source book for compact heat exchanger analytical data. Academic press, 2014.
[8]Kakac S, Shah RK, Aung W. Handbook of single-phase convective heat transfer. U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information, 1986, 6291382.
[9]Kreutzer MT, Kapteijn F, Moulijn JA, Heiszwolf JJ. Multiphase monolith reactors: chemical reaction engineering of segmented flow in microchannels. Chemical Engineering Science, 2005, 60(22), 5895-5916. DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2005.03.022
[10]Abd El-Hamid SE, Aly IA, Heiba AR, Omran MM, El Sawy EN. Mitigating the corrosion of anodized 304 and 316 stainless steel with GOx/PEDOT coating for bioelectrochemical saline water applications. ECS Meeting Abstracts, 2024, 1, 1240. DOI: 10.1149/MA2024-01181240mtgabs
[11]Van Hoecke L, Boeye D, Gonzalez-Quiroga A, Patience GS, Perreault P. Experimental methods in chemical engineering: Computational Fluid Dynamics/Finite Volume Method__CFD/FVM. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 101(2), 545-561. DOI: 10.1002/cjce.24571
[12]Enoki R, Watanabe T, Nagata K. Statistical properties of shear and nonshear velocity components in isotropic turbulence and turbulent jets. Physical Review Fluids, 2023, 8(10), 104602. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevFluids.8.104602
[13]Avancini BD, Carmo BS. Numerical modeling of high-speed flows of fluid mixtures with phase change through nozzles. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 2024, 149(1), 219-231. DOI: 10.1007/s10973-023-12716-x
[14]Yang X, Xie P, Dong X, Sun W, Liu X, Yang H, et al. Physics-Informed neural initialization for robust multi-fidelity coupled simulation of advanced propulsion systems. SSRN, 2025, 5266864.
[15]Zhang Y, Lu T. Unsteady-state thermal stress and thermal deformation analysis for a pressurizer surge line subjected to thermal stratification based on a coupled CFD-FEM method. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 2017, 108, 253-267. DOI: 10.1016/j.anucene.2017.04.034
[16]Duarte LM, Almaraz GM, Montaño HM. Ultrasonic fatigue testing of AISI 304 and 316 stainless steels under environmental and immersion conditions. Fracture and Structural Integrity, 2024, 18(68), 175-185. DOI: 10.3221/IGF-ESIS.68.11
[17]Mathias SA. Flow in pipes and normal flow in open channels. Hydraulics, Hydrology and Environmental Engineering, 2024, 37-60. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-41973-7_2
[18]Abraham JP, Sparrow EM, Tong JC. Heat transfer in all pipe flow regimes: laminar, transitional/intermittent, and turbulent. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer,2009, 52(3-4), 557-563. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2008.07.009
[19]Pérez-García J, García A, Herrero-Martín R, Solano JP. Experimental correlations on critical Reynolds numbers and friction factor in tubes with wire-coil inserts in laminar, transitional and low turbulent flow regimes. Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, 2018, 91, 64-79. DOI: 10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2017.10.003
[20]Garg H, Wang L, Andersson M, Fureby C. Large eddy simulations of turbulent pipe flows at moderate Reynolds numbers. Physics of Fluids, 2024, 36(4), 045138. DOI: 10.1063/5.0201967
[21]Chekmarev SF. Laminar-turbulent transition: the change of the flow state temperature with the Reynolds number. Journal of Statistical Physics, 2014, 157(6), 1019-1030. DOI: 10.1007/s10955-014-1112-x
[22]Ribeiro KM, do Amaral GR, Balthazar JM, de Macêdo Wahrhaftig A, de Oliveira Lopes EM. On the evaluation of natural frequencies and mode shapes of beams under tensile axial loading. Advances in Structural Vibration, 2025, 53-68. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-71540-2_5
[23]Hattori H, Wada A, Yamamoto M, Yokoo H, Yasunaga K, Kanda T, et al. Experimental study of laminar-to-turbulent transition in pipe flow. Physics of Fluids, 2022, 34(3), 034115. DOI: 10.1063/5.0082624
[24]Dabiri JO, Mohebbi N, Fu MK. Persistent laminar flow at Reynolds numbers exceeding 100,000. arXiv, 2022. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2212.02488
[25]Godin OA. Incompressible wave motion of compressible fluids. Physical Review Letters, 2012, 108(19), 194501. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.194501
[26]Arun G, Babu SK, Natarajan S, Kulasekharan N. Study of flow behaviour in sharp and mitred pipe bends. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2020, 27(3), 2101-2108. DOI: 10.1016/j.matpr.2019.09.076
[27]Thirunavukkarasu V, Aanjaneya K. Unified model for residence time distribution in a recycle reactor with arbitrary velocity profiles. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2024, 63(32), 14275-14285. DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.4c00973
[28]Al-Soos MK, Lafi R. Hydrodynamic theory and its applications in mechanical engineering design.
[29]Divoux T, Tamarii D, Barentin C, Teitel S, Manneville S. Yielding dynamics of a Herschel-Bulkley fluid: a critical-like fluidization behaviour. Soft Matter, 2012, 8(15), 4151-4164. DOI: 10.1039/C2SM06918K
[30]Yang N, Xiao Z, Liu H, Jiang J, Liu F, Yang X, et al. Effect of annulus ratio on the residence time distribution and Péclet number in micro/milli-scale reactors. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 103(2), 899-913. DOI: 10.1002/cjce.25428
[31]Murthy KVR, Bondhu M, Ranganayakulu C, Ashok Babu TP. Influence of hydraulic diameter on heat transfer and pressure drop during condensation of R-134a refrigerant in a brazed plate fin heat exchanger. International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology, 2016, 5(7), 21-31. DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/SGB7D
[32]Han Y, Wang H, Wei M, Yao H, Liu T, Ma X. Advanced low-temperature plasma-driven oxidation for mitigating pharmaceutical and personal care products in wastewater: Mechanisms, influencing factors, and reactor configurations. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025, 520, 165788. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2025.165788
[33]Taromsari SM, Salari M, Hwang LW, Naguib H. Freeze-Cast MXene-Graphene nanoribbon architectures for high-performance Lithium-Ion batteries. ECS Meeting Abstracts, 2025, 247(3), 412-412. DOI: 10.1149/MA2025-013412mtgabs
[34]Srinivasan S, Gillham J, Marshall JM. Development of high temperature brazing of Cwc/RSB to steel joints for fusion reactor. Euro PM2024 Congress Proceedings, 2024. DOI: 10.59499/EP246283792
[35]Pasti F, Tajfirooz S, Uitslag-Doolaard HJ, Brigante F, De Haan-De Wilde FH. Comprehensive modelling of pressurized thermal shock with a probabilistic approach. Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, 2023, 87462, V003T04A029. DOI: 10.1115/PVP2023-105923
[36]Wang D, Jia R, Kumseranee S, Punpruk S, Gu T. Comparison of 304 and 316 stainless steel microbiologically influenced corrosion by an anaerobic oilfield biofilm consortium. Engineering Failure Analysis, 2021, 122, 105275. DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2021.105275
[37]Asgedom YN, Su WN, Hwang BJ. Novel Gel Polymer Electrolyte Preparation Method for Anode-Free Lithium Metal Battery. ECS Meeting Abstracts, 2025, 247(3), 194-194. DOI: 10.1149/MA2025-013194mtgabs
[38]Babkin VA. Velocity profiles and heat exchange in turbulent flows through smooth and rough pipes. Doklady Physics, 2006, 51(11), 605-609. DOI: 10.1134/S1028335806110085
[39]Qi K, Zhu XG, Wang J, Xia GD. Heat transfer between liquid and a nanostructured surface under external electric field. Acta Physica Sinica, 2024, 73(15). DOI: 10.7498/aps.73.20240698
[40]Li X, Zhang D, Liu Z. Comparative corrosion resistance of SS 304 and SS 316 in mineral acid solutions. Corrosion Science, 2017, 123, 1-10.
[41]Chaudhry V, Kumar A, Ingole SM, Balasubramanian AK, Muktibodh UC. Thermo-mechanical transient analysis of reactor pressure vessel. Procedia Engineering, 2014, 86, 809-817. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2014.11.101
[42]Lyu X, Bai Y, Li J, Tao R, Yang J, Serov A. Investigation of oxygen evolution reaction with 316 and 304 stainless-steel mesh electrodes in natural seawater electrolysis. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2023, 11(3), 109667. DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2023.109667
[43]Zhang Z, Fu X, Li S, Sheng M, Huang Z. Viscosity based classification of displacing process in horizontal annular cementation. ARMA U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, 2024. DOI: 10.56952/ARMA-2024-0859
[44]Ntuli MP, Dirker J, Meyer JP. Heat transfer and pressure drop coefficients for turbulent flow in concentric annular ducts. 19th International Congress of Chemical and Process Engineering, 2010.
[45]Vucinic D, Pesut M, Jovic F, Lacor C. Exploring ontology-based approach to facilitate integration of multi-physics and visualization for numerical models. International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, 2010, 535-552. DOI: 10.1115/DETC2009-86477
[46]Van Weerd J, Sankaran S, Roling O, Sukas S, Krabbenborg S, Huskens J, et al. A microfluidic device with continuous ligand gradients in supported lipid bilayers to probe effects of ligand surface density and solution shear stress on pathogen adhesion. Advanced Materials Interfaces, 2016, 3(9), 1600055. DOI: 10.1002/admi.201600055
[47]Dai S, Liang L, Tong X, Wang H, Wu R, Jiang K. Numerical simulation and experimental study on non-invasive pipeline flow measurement based on distributed acoustic sensing. Measurement, 2025, 244, 116527. DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2024.1165277
[48]Nozarian S, Hansen C, Forooghi P, Abkar M. Laminarization through annular gap injection in turbulent pipe flows: A large eddy simulation study. Physics of Fluids, 2025, 37(5). DOI: 10.1063/5.0264788
[49]Khan MS, Mitra S, Ghatage S, Peng Z, Doroodchi E, Moghtaderi B, et al. Pressure drop and voidage measurement in solid-liquid fluidized bed: Experimental, mathematical and computational study. Chemeca 2016: Chemical Engineering-Regeneration, Recovery and Reinvention, 2016, 1019-1030.
[50]Wang Y, Ge W. Simulation of fluid-structure interaction using the boundary data immersion method with adaptive mesh refinement. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Fluids, 2024, 96(7), 1156-1169. DOI: 10.1002/fld.5283
[51]Chen W, Xu H, Mao W, Liu M, Sun X, Deng Q. The thermal-mechanical deformations of CO2 mixture gases dry gas seal based on two-way thermal-fluid-solid coupling model. Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, 2024, 76(9), 1058-1067. DOI: 10.1108/ILT-04-2024-0149
[52]Cao J, Wang P, Liu H, Wang B, Liu Y. Vortical structures and passive scalar transport in starting process of annular purging jet. Physics of Fluids, 2024, 36(7), 075120. DOI: 10.1063/5.0215426
[53]Ando S, Nishikawa M, Kaneda M, Suga K. Numerical simulation of filtration processes in the flow-induced deformation of fibrous porous media by a three-dimensional two-way fluid-structure interaction scheme. Chemical Engineering Science, 2022, 252, 117500. DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2022.117500
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Krishanu Roy, Sabyasachi Paitandi, Sankha Chakrabortty (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
