Computational Fluid Dynamics for Modeling of Hydrotreating Fixed-Bed Reactors: A Review

This paper describes the importance of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a tool for the design, analysis, and optimization of the different sections of catalytic hydrotreating (HDT) reactors. This paper describes the genesis and evolution of CFD, its application to the simulation of a HDT reactor, and the mathematical relations that underpin it. It also delineates the formulation and solution of specific problems using CFD. Then, a revision of the selected research papers that have been published to date for the CFD simulation of the HDT process is made. This analysis yielded valuable insights into the utility of CFD for simulating the HDT process. It also identified several bibliographical references that can serve as a comprehensive foundation for those developing CFD simulations in diverse process scenarios.