Introducing bends or coiling in a tubular reactor promotes Dean vortices, which enhance radial mixing as well as heat and mass transfer. Exploring compact geometries that strengthen curvature-induced mixing is highly beneficial for continuous flow synthesis across scales. Despite their advantages, selecting an appropriate configuration of tubular reactors in a given space (jacket) requires careful evaluation of multiple factors, including energy efficiency, dispersion behavior, heat transfer performance, and spatial compactness. This paper presents a holistic framework for selecting an optimal configuration of a tubular reactor within a confinement (jacket) based on energy efficiency, dispersion behavior, heat transfer, and spatial compactness. Ten distinct configurations are explored based on geometrical characterization and single-phase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Each configuration is evaluated for flow patterns, pressure drop, residence time distribution (RTD), and jacket-side flow distribution. The results demonstrate that geometric design, especially the number and arrangement of bends, has a pronounced impact on reactor performance, influencing both compactness and dispersion characteristics. A combined qualitative–quantitative assessment is employed, utilizing radar plots (which capture key simulation and geometric data) and a K-means clustering unsupervised learning algorithm, along with a derived performance index (Π), to rank configurations based on their geometric attributes. This approach forms a robust basis for selection and design guidance. The study indicates that while individual designs offer specific advantages, coil geometries such as multihelix, spiral, and elongated spirals deliver optimal overall performance.
Mali et al. (2026) studied this question.