Process for treating a liquid with a gas and for preventing the phase separation of unreacted gas and liquid, in a circulatory reactor

A process for treating a liquid and a gas and substantially preventing phase separation of unreacted gas and liquid in a circulatory reactor containing a liquid-immersed circulation tube, the ratio of reactor height:reactor diameter being 2:1 to 30:1 and the ratio of diameter of the circulation tube:diameter of the reactor being from 0.1:1 to 0.7:1, wherein:

• the gas is introduced into and finely dispersed in the liquid by one or more jets of liquid which issue from one or more nozzles arranged above the circulation tube with the nozzle orifice positioned at about the level of the circulating liquid;
• said gas is entrained downwards in the circulation tube by the circulating gas-liquid stream, which exits from the bottom end of said tube and rises in the annular space immediately surrounding the tube, the velocity of the liquid in the circulation tube being from 1 to 6 times as great as the velocity in the annular space;
• and any gas remaining in the liquid after the liquid rises in the annular space very largely remains entrained in the liquid, which is drawn over the upper edge of the circulation tube from the annular space and thence downward again into the circulation tube.