Optimized liquid-phase oxidation

In a bubble column reactor for reacting a predominately gas-phase stream and a predominately liquid-phase stream in a multi-phase reaction medium contained in a reaction zone, wherein said bubble column reactor includes a primary pressure-containing vessel shell having one or more upright sidewalls and presenting one or more upright inner surfaces that define at least a portion of said reaction zone, the improvement comprising:

• one or more internal members disposed in said reaction zone and presenting one or more upright outer surfaces for contacting said reaction medium, wherein the total upright outer surface area of said internal members accounts for at least about 10 percent of the combined upright inner surface area of said sidewalls and said internal members;
• and
• one or more gas openings for introducing said gas-phase stream into said reaction zone, wherein at least a substantially portion of said gas openings are located below a substantial portion of said internal members in a manner such that the natural buoyancy of said gas-phase stream in said reaction medium causes at least a portion of the gas-phase stream to rise through the reaction medium adjacent at least a portion of substantially all of said upright outer surfaces of said internal members.

33-34. (canceled)