Effect of drag and frictional losses on the hydrodynamics of gas-lift reactors

This work demonstrates how predictions of the hydrodynamics of gas-lift reactors can be improved by careful quantification of the mechanical-energy losses in the system. It is shown that drag and friction in all elements of the system must be taken into account in the formulation. Furthermore, it is illustrated that mechanical-energy losses in the various accessories of the system are the key elements that determine the liquid-circulation velocity for the analyzed reactor scale.