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Oil/Water Separators vs. Oil Skimmers

Oil skimmers remove oil that has accumulated on the surface. Oil water separators are for removing oil from a moving stream.

In our business we often get calls for oil water separators (OWS’s) to be used in applications where an oil water separator (OWS) just won’t work. The best way to explain why------is to explain what an oil water separator is designed to do, which is quite simply: “to remove a little bit of free and un-emulsified oil from a lot of water”.

Sounds simple enough-right ?-----Not so fast. Free and un-emulsified means oil in water that has not been subjected to chemical treatment (like soaps that can cause a chemical emulsion) or too high shear forces like a centrifugal pump, which will mechanically emulsify the mixture by chopping the oil into small particles that will not have enough buoyancy to rise on their own thru a water column----that’s a problem!

Rule #1 No oil water separator can handle an emulsion.
Rule #2 See rule #1

We have both marine and industrial oil water separators that are designed to do the same thing, although they do it differently. Industrial separators are usually gravity flow passive devices without any moving parts. They use gravity and/or coalescence to operate, on the basis of extended dwell time, which can require a goodly amount of real estate as these separators can get quite large for higher flow rates. Small industrial separators start off smaller than a computer desk.

We Have all types of oil water separators!

A marine separator (OWS) is a packaged automated skid mounted system complete with pump and controls, which is designed to pull suction from a “slops tank or bilge” on a boat or ship, and process this water---removing the free and un-emulsified oils, discharging the cleaned/treated water overboard. These marine separators usually operate on both specific gravity differential (most oils are lighter than water) and coalescing to get the job done.

Marine separators retain the removed oil until enough has been collected, that it needs to be purged to make room for more to accumulate. This collected oil is then automatically displaced by incoming fresh/clean water and pushed to a waste oil tank or receptacle, after which the separator can go back online and start again processing oily water.

These marine oil water separators have several automatic valves and cycles to theoretically eliminate human error or need for intervention. Usually marine separators are U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) approved, meaning that they are equipped with monitoring and control equipment to automatically keep the separator from discharging oil into the environment. We have an oilsmart switch, which can be used to energize an OWS to keep it from ever seeing a big slug of pure oil.

Further----on boats or ships requiring approved separators, they usually need to comply with IMO/MEPC regulations, which designate what type of monitoring equipment is needed. The newest IMO/MEPC 107 (49) regulations require all oil/water separator systems have a downstream filtration capability to remove any emulsions that might be present, prior to discharge. Got Oil? We have the separators! For the toughest marine oil water separators—see the BRUTE!

An attractive alternative to an OWS for those who are not mandated to have one, is our BilgeVAP bilge water evaporator system. It’s Bubba Proof and has no moving parts.

Got Oily water?---see these!

Oil Water Separators

Oil water/separators are flow-thru devices that are designed to remove free and un-emulsified oils from water. They rely on the differential in specific gravity between oil and water to do the separation. The addition of a coalescing media improves the removal efficiency, allowing finer separation within the same space. Here are the different types.

Marine Systems The Brute - Heavy Duty Marine Oil Water Separator USCG Approved/     IMO Certified MEPC 60 (33) & MEPC 107 (49) EconoMarine Economy Marine Oil Water Separator USCG Approved/     IMO Certified MEPC 60 (33) BilgeVAP - Bilge Water Evaporator System - ZERO DISCHARGE Oiliminator Bio Mechanical Marine Oil Water Separator Industrial Separators Low Flow Coalescer-Industrial Oil Water Separator Steel Fabricated Industrial Oil Water Separator Air Compressor Condensate Oil Water Separator API Oil Water Separator Air Compressor Condensate Evaporator System Economy Separator-Industrial Gravity Separator Membrane Filtration-Filters That Remove Oil Vehicle Equipment Wash Systems Evaporator Systems - Evaporates Water, Not Oil

We specialize in the technologies for removing oil from water. There are too many types/styles to put them all here.

We have all types---call!

These separators are designed and sized to produce an effluent concentration of less than 15mg/L of oil droplets 30 micron and larger of non-emulsified, sheen free, free and dispersed oil.

Although most oil water separators are used to prepare water for discharge, many other applications are for de-oiling water for re-use, tramp oil removal and process treatment.

WE LOVE OIL!

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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION!

St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone (314) 579-9755
Fax (314) 579-9202
info@skimoil.com

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