Numerical Investigation of Coolant-dependent Heat Transfer Performance in Jacketed Reactors

Abstract

The thermal performance of jacketed reactors is strongly influenced by the thermophysical properties of the applied heat transfer fluid. While analytical methods provide rapid engineering estimates, they are often unable to describe local flow structures and temperature distributions within the jacket space. In the present study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed in ANSYS CFX to investigate the flow and heat transfer behavior of two commonly used coolant solutions: methanol-water and ethylene glycol-water mixtures. The numerical simulations were performed for two jacketed reactor geometries under identical thermal boundary conditions. The velocity field, temperature distribution, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient were evaluated and compared with previously published analytical calculations. The results showed that the methanol-based coolant provided higher heat transfer coefficients in both investigated geometries. The calculated differences between the two coolant solutions reached 23.0% and 20.7%, respectively, which is in good agreement with the trends predicted by the analytical model. The CFD simulations confirmed the main conclusions of the analytical investigation while providing additional insight into the underlying flow and temperature fields. The proposed methodology can support the comparative evaluation of heat transfer fluids and assist engineering decision-making during the thermal design of jacketed reactor systems.