High-velocity jets, restrictions, elbows, turbulent expansions, and wet surfaces can break large droplets or strip liquid films into finer mist before the gas reaches the demister. This can make separation harder without increasing total liquid mass.

Vane drainage pockets and hooks can plug with salts, slurry, or solids before the main gas passages appear restricted. This can cause high carryover with only modest DP increase because droplet capture continues while protected liquid drainage fails.

Mist eliminators in annular or obstructed vessels must be sized from the true open cross section rather than full vessel diameter. Central pipes, supports, eccentricity, inner-edge bypass, drainage, segmentation, and thermal expansion all affect the final hydraulic performance.

High-altitude atmospheric scrubbers can have lower gas density and higher actual volumetric flow for the same mass or normalized gas rate. Mist eliminator face velocity, pressure drop, and capacity should therefore be calculated using actual site pressure and temperature.

Spray towers generate mist directly through nozzle atomization, while packed towers create entrainment through gas-liquid interaction, distributor behavior, and potentially flooding. These different mechanisms affect droplet size, liquid load, upset behavior, and mist eliminator selection.