System Design of Reuleaux Venturi Cavitation Reactors for Process Intensification

This work develops a design framework for hydrodynamic cavitation reactors featuring Venturi throats with a Reuleaux-triangle cross-section (VRA) and a twisted, controlled-swirl variant (VRAt). The framework links internal geometry and flow patterns to three objectives: increasing cavitation event density, improving spatial uniformity and guiding localization in target regions near the wall. Geometric indicators relate the perimeter-to-area ratio and cross-sectional area to pressure drop, nucleation-site availability and near-wall coverage, and are combined with a kinematic description of swirl-induced flow-path elongation in VRAt. At equal cross-sectional area, VRA increases the perimeter, enhances fluid–wall contact and is expected to support a more extended and homogeneous cavitation field than a circular throat. VRAt further extends the flow path, shifts the pressure minimum and intensifies near-wall localization of collapses, with potential benefits for selectivity and energy efficiency. This theoretical contribution is intended to inform the design and experimental validation of next-generation cavitating devices. The proposed criteria are expressed in measurable quantities and enable transparent comparison with circular Venturi designs, providing a basis for model development, control strategies and scale-up across applications such as water and wastewater treatment, food and beverage processing, bioenergy, biotechnology, fine chemicals, materials processing and thermal systems.