Entrainment
also known as carry-over · phase carryover
Entrainment is the physical carry-over of dispersed droplets in a continuous phase leaving a settler: aqueous droplets leaving with the organic, or organic droplets leaving with the aqueous. It is separate from dissolved losses, and it is measured by settling tests or by determining the phase content of the outgoing stream.
Why it matters in practice
Entrainment moves contamination in both directions, so aqueous entrainment poisons stripping while organic entrainment represents a direct reagent loss and creates an oil load on downstream aqueous treatment. Rising entrainment is usually the first measurable symptom of over-mixing or of crud forming at the interface.
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Equipment in this segment
20mm Rotary Drum Centrifugal Extractor
9 Specifications · centrifugal extractor
50mm Rotary Drum Centrifugal Extractor
9 Specifications · centrifugal extractor
80mm Rotary Drum Centrifugal Extractor
9 Specifications · centrifugal extractor
Packed Extraction Column
5 Specifications · extraction column
Related terms
Reference entry GL-ENTRAINMENT. Definitions on this page describe engineering practice in hydrometallurgical process design; they are not a substitute for test work on your own material.