The CREC Riser Simulator Reactor is a novel mini-Riser unit This study considers-a laminar-turbulent CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation using the COMSOL Multiphysics module to establish gas-solid mixing patterns. The proposed CFD calculations are verified using both experimental data (<10-15% difference) and mass balance errors (<0.1%). Results show the significant detrimental effect of basket vertical baffles implemented in earlier designs of the CREC Riser Simulator Reactor. On the basis of this, it is demonstrated that a double vortex flow leading to high gas mixing is favored in a new reactor configuration "without" basket vertical baffles. For instance, at 4200 rpm, in a basket unit loaded with 0.8 g of catalyst, close to-69 cm/s gas axial velocities were observed. This shows turbulent or fast fluidization conditions with smaller than 0.51 s mixing times. In addition, this new suggested design with enhanced mixing places the CREC Riser Simulator in a new class of laboratory scale fluidized catalytic units. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.