CFD analysis of a HO/UVC water treatment process in the annular FluHelik reactor.

This study deals with the photochemical degradation of the model compound tetracycline, an aqueous pollutant derived from the degradation of the bactericide oxytetracycline (OTC), in the innovative photoreactor FluHelik, designed to promote pollutant abatement in liquid phase through HO/UVC and UVC processes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were performed to predict the behavior of the photoreactor in the laboratory scale. The simulations revealed a well-defined helicoidal flow pattern around the UVC lamp in the photoreactor, and the effect of different operational conditions (e.g., flow rate and light intensity) on the reactor's performance was evaluated, allowing to optimize the equipment.