Application progress of computational fluid dynamics in packed-bed reactors

When simulating packed-bed reactors with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to correctly describe the flow of gas-liquid, the application of the two-fluid model based on the volume-average mass and momentum balance equations, assisted with the empirical correlations of the porosity distribution, the external wetting efficiency of packing and the axial mass dispersion, was an important direction in predicting the pressure drop, holdup and residence time distribution (RTD) etc. Several of the focuses of CFD model in packed-bed reactors were studied, namely, the momentum exchange coefficient, the capillary pressure and the void fraction. Then, recent application progress of CFD in trickle-bed, fixed-bed, packed column reactors and internal structures were outlined, and the future trends of the development were given.