ALC - Abanaki

Oil skimmers are very simple pieces of equipment that can help you tackle a very serious wastewater issue. They are a low-cost and environmentally sound solution to waste oil recovery. They are by no means high-maintenance or difficult to use, but do require some routine work every now and then and a little tinkering here or there.

For industrial oil skimming, there are six basic designs commonly used in moving media skimmers. (Suction skimmers are excluded, as they are generally unsuitable except for relatively thick (1/4 inch) layers of oil; otherwise they tend to ingest large amounts of water.)

There are several types of industrial oil skimmers. Choosing one best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital outlay and skimmer operating costs. You may define the application in terms of the following characteristics:

Oil skimmers are simple, dependable and effective tools for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water. They usually pay for themselves within a few months. In order to ensure the oil skimmer you choose is right for your operation, there are certain steps you can follow.

Sometimes called pumpless groundwater remediation systems, oil skimming is the lowest cost way to remove hydrocarbon contamination from groundwater. Oil skimming alone may clean water to acceptable levels or be used as a pre-filter treatment. It is the most inexpensive way to remove LNAPLs or DNAPLs.

The relationship between oil and water in a mixture is well-known and governed by two physical properties:

There are many oil skimmer choices available but, how do you determine the best for the application? Two things should be considered at the start of the search. First, how much volume of contaminated oil requires removing? Every skimmer offers an oil removal yardstick measured in gallons per hour. Second, what are the dimensions of tank where skimmer will be operating? Some skimmers remove oil more efficiently than others based on the size of tank.   Even if there is a low volume of floating oil in an application, a smaller skimmer may not be the ideal solution if the surface area is too large. 

Anyone that works with coolant knows about the potential foul stench that looms around the corner. When a machine is shut down for the weekend, oil has a chance to come to the surface of the coolant tank. Bacteria that are living in the coolant tank use up the dissolved oxygen in the coolant mix, a process that is sped up by having a layer of oil on the surface. This allows odor causing anaerobic bacteria to thrive, giving off that familiar “rotten egg” smell.