A combination of the ®rst and second law of thermodynamics has been utilized in analyzing the convective heat transfer in an annular packed bed. The bed was heated asymmetrically by constant heat ¯uxes. Introduction of the packing enhances wall to ¯uid heat transfer considerably, hence reduces the entropy generation due to heat transfer across a ®nite temperature dierence. However, the entropy generation due to ¯uid-¯ow friction increases. The net entropy generations resulting from the above eects provide a new criterion in analysing the system. Using the modi®ed Ergun equation for pressure drop estimation and a heat transfer coecient correlation for an annular packed bed, an expression for the volumetric entropy generation rate has been derived and displayed graphically. In the packed annulus, the fully developed temperature pro®le and the plug ¯ow conditions have been assumed and veri®ed with experimental data. The volumetric entropy generation map shows the regions with excessive entropy generation due to operating conditions or design parameters for a required task, and leads to a better understanding of the behavior of the system.