Separators foam-caused entrainment

Mechanical carry-over is the entrainment of small droplets of boiler water in the separated steam. Since entrained boiler-water droplets contain solids in the same concentration and proportions as the boiler water, the amount of impurities in steam contributed by mechanical carry-over is the sum of all impurities ill the boilei water multiplied by the moisture content of the steam. Foaming of the boiler water results in gross mechanical carryover. The common causes of foaming are excessive boiler-water solids, excessive alkalinity or the presence of certain forms of organic mailer, such as oil. 

Dissolved air is not readily drawn out of solution. It becomes a problem when temperatures rise rapidly or pressures drop. Petroleum oils contain as much as 12% dissolved air. When a system starts up or when it overheats, this air changes from a dissolved phase into small bubbles. If the bubbles are very small in diameter, they remain suspended in the liquid phase of the oil, particularly in high viscosity oils. This can cause air entrainment, which is characterized as a small amount of air in the form of extremely small bubbles dispersed throughout the bulk of the oil. Air entrainment is treated differently than foam and is typically a separate problem. Some of the potential effects of air entrainment include pump cavitation, spongy and erratic operation of hydraulics, loss of precision control, vibrations, oil oxidation, component wear due to reduced lubricant viscosity, equipment shutdown when low oil pressure switches trip, microdieseling... 

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