CFD investigation of the effect of channel geometry on the flow and thermal behaviors in SiC monolith reactors.

Cyclohexanone oxime is a critical intermediate for nylon-6 production; however, conventional synthesis routes suffer from high energy consumption and undesirable byproduct formation. To address the growing industrial demand for more efficient structured packings, this study employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to systematically investigate the flow behavior, heat transfer, and reaction performance of silicon carbide (SiC) monolithic reactors. Flat, corrugated, and novel composite plate structures were evaluated across triangular, square, rhombic, and hexagonal pore geometries. The results demonstrate that the composite plate architecture synergistically couples vigorous mixing from corrugated walls with effective flow reorganization and thermal buffering from intermediate flat plates. Specifically, the composite-rhombic (Co-Di) configuration emerged as optimal, maximizing fluid-to-heat-source contact, achieving superior temperature uniformity, and enhancing the overall cyclohexanone oxime yield. Reactively, it demonstrates the fastest initial growth rate, reaching a concentration of 0.14 mol m-3. These findings provide robust theoretical guidance for next-generation industrial reactor design.