In the present study, influence of interfacial forces, including drag force and lateral forces (lift force, turbulent dispersion force and wall force) on the hydrodynamics in pilot-scale bubble columns with internals is analyzed. The results indicate that the lateral forces may be optional for the hollow columns, but they are required to accurately predict flow characteristics in the bubble columns with internals. Furthermore, it has been found that the bubbly flow behavior in the bubble columns with internals is more sensitive to the lateral forces in comparison with those without internals, and the complex geometry significantly alters the response of bubbly flow to the interfacial forces. In addition, despite the insignificant effect on gas holdup, the presence of internals gives rise to an enhancement of large-scale liquid circulation due to the remarkable decrease of turbulent viscosity. (C) 2017 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.