Geometry-Driven Reconfiguration of Poloidal Recirculating Flow in a Concentric Baffle Vessel

This paper studies steady incompressible flow in a cylindrical vessel containing a concentric inner shroud or baffle. This geometric configuration forces a poloidal recirculating loop, where fluid moves downward through a central core region and returns upward along the surrounding outer annulus. We investigate how the primary dimensionless aspect ratio—the diameter ratio λ—affects flow partitioning, system pressure losses, and global circulation strength. Using standard fluid mechanics foundations (continuity, Navier–Stokes scaling, and hydraulic resistance concepts), we demonstrate that geometry influences the flow field indirectly by modifying local hydraulic resistance and viscous dissipation pathways, rather than directly dictating structural velocity ratios.

A newenergy-based diagnostic metric Π is introduced to characterize circulation strength relative to total volumetric dissipation. The structural model is developed as a scalable framework intended for formal validation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) or laboratory experimental methodologie