“…About 5 m above this region is located the injection zone, where the feedstock (gas oil) is fed and the initial contact between the feedstock and the hot catalyst occurs, resulting in high gradients of temperature and concentration. According to Fan et al (2002), Gao et al (1999) and Theologos et al (1997), the initial contact is one of the most important aspects of the process, which affects the fluid dynamics and kinetics of the catalytic reaction. The feedstock is injected into the riser through nozzles, which aim to atomize the charge into small droplets and promote a perfect contact between the catalyst and the feedstock, thus minimizing regions of high catalyst concentration in order to avoid undesired reactions.…”