Fixed bed catalytic reactor modelling—the radial heat transfer problem

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An interpretation of the state‐of‐the‐art in modelling radial heat transfer in fixed bed catalytic reactors is presented. The persistence of the classical k r – h w model is discussed, problems with typical approaches to obtaining and analysing experimental heat transfer data to get k r and h w are explained, current correlations for k r are evaluated and the contentious history of h w is elaborated. A brief discussion of alternatives to the k r – h w approach and their pros and cons is attempted, and the review is concluded by a look at computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in fixed bed radial heat transfer modelling.