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The literature on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations applied to photocatalytic systems is reviewed. CFD simulations referring to three models, namely, P‐1, discrete ordinates (DO), and Monte Carlo (MC) models, for simulating radiation distribution in annular photoreactors are addressed and previous works using these models are reviewed. The cases are a three‐dimensional (3D) annular photoreactor and a two‐dimensional (2D) rectangular enclosure with black walls and the results are compared with the literature. The DO model was selected to solve the radiation transfer equation (RTE) as the most reliable model to fit the radiation distribution inside the reactor. The setting‐up of mesh, angular discretization, and boundary conditions for CFD simulation of photocatalytic reactors are addressed. When correctly set, the CFD models show an excellent agreement with the literature results.

ChannelCOMB, a consecutive flow distributor, was constructed by additive manufacturing (AM) for experimental validation. The feasibility of using AM was experimentally analyzed for two techniques: stereolithography (tolerance of 50 µm) and fused deposition modeling (tolerance of 100 µm). For the best ChannelCOMB configuration, SLA printing shows a maximum of ca. 4 % in flow deviation, while FDM has a maximum of ca. 15 %. Thus, the SLA technique promotes better flow uniformity due to the fabrication tolerance and material permeability. The results also show that the experimental flow distribution measured for the best ChannelCOMB configuration printed by SLA can be well predicted by both computational fluid dynamics simulations and a model based on resistance analogs proposed in a previous work.