Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital outlay and oil skimming operatinon costs. The fourth step is determining which belt, tube, or disk to select for your skimmer.
Oil Skimmer Belt and Tube Length: Removal capacity is not affected by length. Choose a length that: assures contact with the liquid at its lowest level; allows easy mounting of the oil skimmer where oil discharge is convenient; and has good access for routine service. Abanaki’s ability to supply oil skimmers with long belts, and lift skimmed oil well over 100 feet with no loss in capacity or efficiency is important to many users. In regards to Disk Diameter: The disk must always be touching the fluid. Size the diameter accordingly.
Abanaki offers 5 different belt materials. CR Steel, Elastomer, Poly, XP-Poly, and Fuzzy. Each belt is constructed to suit applications based on temperature, pH, particles in the liquid, and its effectiveness for light oils.
However, belt performance and durability depends on the nature of the liquid, its chemical composition, temperature, etc. For instance, high temperature increases a belt’s sensitivity to pH levels. To make sure the belt oil skimmer performs satisfactorily in your application, Abanaki offers free samples of belt material for test purposes.
Additionally, Abanaki offers 4 wiper blade materials for a variety of operating environments. The standard is Nitrile (also known as Buna-N), which is appropriate for about 80% of all applications. Optional materials are designed for applications with harsh operating conditions.
The materials include:
-CRV (very high chemical resistance)
-Ceramic hybrid (excellent lubricity and moderate chemical resistance)
-Stainless steel wipers.
Stay tuned for part five of ‘Choosing an Oil Skimmer’. To learn more about belt types for specific applications, click the photo below!
