Oil Skimmer Blog

Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing initial outlay and oil skimming operation costs.

How much skimmer capacity do you need? 

Capacity should be based on the maximum amount of oil to be removed within the shortest available time. For instance, total oil influx may be 200 gallons in a 24-hour period, which averages about 8.3 gallons per hour. But if most of it comes during a single eight-hour plant shift, you will probably need a removal rate that is three times as high, especially if you are trying to prevent an unwanted discharge of contaminated water to a sewer system. As a rule-of-thumb, specify approximately twice the maximum capacity you anticipate needing for normal conditions.

What do the capacity ratings mean?
Oil skimmers usually have an oil removal rate expressed in gallons per hour. The rate varies with oil viscosity, so Abanaki rates skimmers using SAE 30 weight motor oil at 65°F (18°C). It is very important to ask the manufacturer what they are basing their capacities on and get an exact SAE weight or viscosity.  Beware of generalities like ‘a medium-weight oil.’

Will there be water in the skimmed oil?
All oil skimmers pick up some water with the oil they remove. Some designs, particularly suction skimmers, pick up more water than others. High water content increases oil recycling and disposal costs. Generally, the ratio of water-to-oil decreases with thicker films of floating oil and slower moving pick-up media. An Oil Concentrator® or decanter installed at the oil skimmer discharge port provides secondary oil/ water separation that can reduce water content to nearly zero.

How much oil will be left in the tank?
An oil skimmer continues to remove oils as long as there are oils present. Depending on oil influx rate and the oil skimmer's removal rate, residual oil in the water may be as low as a few parts per million. When residual oil reaches this level and further reduction is required, it may be more practical to use a secondary removal method following skimming, such as membrane filtration.

What do I sacrifice if I choose a portable oil skimmer?
Oil skimmer portability is a plus in some applications. For example, in plants, mobile equipment service shops, and at remediation sites, a portable oil skimmer can sometimes service multiple machines, sumps, or wells. Portable units usually have a lower removal capacity than stationary units.  Also, when you move an oil skimmer it can be dripping water or oil when you remove it, so having a few rags on hand is a good idea.

If you need any help choosing the right oil skimmer, our experts are ready to help.  Give us a call at (440)543-7400 to learn more about choosing the oil skimmer best-suited for your application, or just click below.

Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital and operational costs. The impoundment capacity, shape, and location of a tank and water impoundment are major factors in choosing the right oil skimmer to lower your costs.

1. Size/Design:
   It is critical that oil in the water is given the opportunity to separate. Oil and water can emulsify when subjected to turbulence and other mechanical agitation. Avoid this by having water return to the tank below the liquid surface at as low a velocity as practical. Make sure your tank or sump provides quiet areas, weirs, and sufficient volume to allow adequate time for oil/water separation.
   
2. Shape:
   Tanks without nooks and crannies for oil to get stuck in are best. If you have an irregular shape, put the oil skimmer where the largest amount of oil accumulates. Consider a means of directing oil towards the oil skimmer such as a floating boom or baffle plate.
3. Location/Installation:
   The physical location and characteristics of the tank and collection container are important and it is vital to ask the right questions such as:
   • Does skimmed oil need to be pumped from the oil skimmer to the container?
   • Will oil skimmer access for periodic maintenance be a problem?
   • How much mounting space is available?
   • Are tank or container modifications required?

If you need any help choosing the right to put a skimmer, our experts are ready to help.  Give us a call at 1-440543-7400 or to learn more about which skimmers work better in specific tanks or sumps, click below.

Fact:

Oil skimming makes use of the differences in specific gravity and surface tension between oil and water. These physical characteristics allow the belt to attract grease, oil, and other hydrocarbon liquids from the far side of the tank.

Oil Skimming Tip:

When selecting an oil skimmer, be sure to place the skimmer where oil is already gathering.  This will ensure the quickest removal of the oil.

Fact:

Belt oil skimmers and oil skimming will collect all types of oil including all free-floating oils, LNAPLS, DNAPLS, and some emulsified oils. The various belt materials  allow for any type of hydrocarbon removal.

Oil Skimming Tip:

There are several things to consider when choosing a belt for your oil skimmer. For example, some plastics won’t stand up to heat or strong chemicals, some metal belts won’t skim well from coolants due to rust inhibitors being present and certain plastic belts don’t last in heated applications. It is very important to choose a good oil skimmer vendor that offers a wide variety of belts to handle any situation.   Equally important is to inform them of the details of your application so they can provide assistance in choosing the proper belt material at the start.

Get  the Abanaki Interactive Oil Skimming Selection Guide to find the right skimmer for you.

Recently, a US automotive parts engineering facility contacted Abanaki Corporation about two issues it was having at its plant.

1. Wanting to reduce the high costs of constantly needing to replace its coolant due to oil contamination
2. Removing the oil from the wastewater recovery trenches.

The Tote-It machine center skimmer was the answer. The skimmer is well suited for parts washing and machining center applications. By removing surface oil from a wash tank, the parts will not be recontaminated as they are withdrawn. Furthermore, by removing tramp oil from a coolant tank, the company prevents excessive smoke and fumes that are caused by oil burning during cutting operations. The Tote-it also reduces bacteria growth in the tank, along with the resulting odor.

Once the facility utilized the Tote-It skimmer in both the cooling tanks and the recovery tanks, it was able to successfully remove the oil from the coolant and from the wastewater.Additionally, with the ability to clean the oil laden coolant, the facility was able to save a significant amount of money and time on coolant disposal costs.

Tramp oil is huge problem for machining centers.  It can affect the appearance of the finished part, lead to worker skin conditions and leave a haze of smoke in the shop creating an environmental hazard.  Many machining centers built today have limited access to the coolant sumps more than they used to.  This creates a dilemma: how do you remove oil from a coolant sump when you barely have access to it? A mini tube skimmer, like the Abanaki’s Tubetastic!®, may be the perfect solution for this problem. The Tubetastic! has an oleophilic tube that snakes into your machining center and removes the oil from the surface of your coolant.  It attaches to the side of the tank lip or it can enter through a slot in the side of the machine.   Furthermore, it has a high capacity to remove oil.  The Tubetastic! can remove as much as 1.5 gph of oil from the surface of cutting fluid, enough to handle virtually any tramp oil problem.

The TubeTastic! features a 50/60hz fan-cooled, continuous duty motor in either 110 or 220v and standard collector tubes allowing reaches of 8″, 12″, 18″ or 24″ with longer lengths available.

Sometimes there are situations where your oil skimmer will collect water. If you are running your skimmer 24/7 and the tank or pit runs out of oil, your skimmer will pick up whatever is remaing in the tank, and most of the time that will be water or coolant. There is a way to prevent this and that is by utilizing an oil water sperator/concentrator in conjuction with your oil skimmer. The oil water conentrator attaches to the skimmer and helps in further separating the water/coolant from your oil. This unit is placed on the back of the skimmer. The skimmed material is drained into the concentrator and then it separates the water from oil. You can then drain the water back into the tank or well through one hose, and the oil drains from another. So, next time you’re wondering how to increase the efficiency of your oil skimmer, take a look at the oil water concentrator to help solve your dilemma.

The Oil Concentrator is non-electrical and contains no moving parts — it simply receives liquid directly from the skimmer. Based on the principle of gravity separation, the Concentrator tank is sized so that there is adequate dwell time for the oil and water to separate. Water discharge is through a tube that has an open end near the bottom of the Concentrator, while oil flow is through a separate drain port near the top. As additional liquid enters the Concentrator, water and oil are
forced out through their respective discharge tubes and ports.

The new Abanaki Oil Boss 2.0 oil skimmer provides cost-savings by removing oil contamination, prolonging the life of the coolant. The patent-pending Oil Boss 2.0 is designed for machines requiring a higher than normal amount of tramp oil removal.  This new high-capacity unit removes and discharges the tramp oil constantly.  The Abanaki Oil Boss 2.0 operates unattended using a specially-designed discharge facilitator, automatically discharging the tramp oil as it is collected.  It eliminates the need for manual draining of the collected waste oil.

Get the datasheet for more information on the money-saving design.

Call an Abanaki sales representative today @1-800-358-7546 for more information about the Abanaki Oil Boss 2.0 Oil Skimmer.

Related Video:

Presented by the Precision Machined Products Association and co-presented by Production Machining Products Finishing and Modern Machine Shop, the Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS) addresses product technology, process innovation and business development in the precision machined parts industry. Founded in 2001, the biennial event includes an exhibit hall, machining demonstrations, show floor knowledge centers and classroom style technical sessions.

The Oil Boss is an innovative tool that keeps coolant free of oil and ultimately extends tool and coolant life. Additionally, it reduces expenses that would typically be used on maintenance and disposal.The Oil Boss comes equipped with Magni-Cling technology, which allows it to be hung from any metal surface in the shop. The magnetic backing allows for easy on/off portability, allowing you to clean all the sumps on site. Oil laden fluid is pumped up from the sump through the inlet valve of the Oil Boss. From there, the fluid passes through a media system, slowing the flow and allowing the oil to be filtered. The clean fluid passes through a second chamber and back to the sump below, leaving your tank with cleaner fluid in no time at all! The filtered oil can be easily discharged for clean and easy removal. In some instances, companies may be able to re-use the skimmed oil elsewhere or sell it for recycling, choosing to keep their part of the world cleaner.

Our sales team had a great time meeting with many of the professionals there and raising awareness of our product. Many of the attendees were impressed by the Oil Boss Oil Skimmer efficiency and oil collection capabilities. If you could use a means of collecting oil from water or coolant in any applications, you can contact Abanaki at (440) 543-7400 or e-mail us at skimmers@abanaki.com.

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

• Specific Gravity: Most hydrocarbons have a lower specific gravity than water. Without agitation, oil separates from the water and floats to the surface. These oils are known as LNAPL’s, Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid. Oils (and other components) that sink in water have a higher specific gravity and are known as DNAPL’s, Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid.
• Surface Tension and Affinity: Normally, oil bonds more tightly to itself and other materials than to water. This affinity, and differences in surface tension between oil and water, cause oils to adhere to a skimming medium.

Although designs vary, all oil skimmers rely on specific gravity, surface tension and a moving medium to remove floating oil from a fluid’s surface.

Find out more about the 9 typical applications for Industrial oil skimmers by clicking the button below.

Our belt oil skimmers are used in industrial wastewater treatment applications quite frequently. An international manufacturer in the power transmission industry has been using our Model 4 belt oil skimmer as part of its manufacturing process for more than 2 years . The facility utilizes a poly belt on the Model 4 that is used in the parts washer, and it runs at roughly 140°F. The skimmer runs 8 hours a day and efficiently skims the oil out of the parts washer and helps to eliminate the company’s disposal costs. After more than 2 years of consecutive operation, the plant operators are just now replacing the poly belt and wiper blades.

There are many reasons why so many facilities use the Model 4 oil skimmer as part of their industrial wastewater treatment. The Model 4 oil skimmer is designed to last for many years. With the proper configuration it can handle liquid temperatures up to 212°F, and the pH of the fluid can range from 3 to 13. Belts are specifically selected for your application (see Belt Selection page). The skimmer drive includes an oil filled gear reducer with bronze gears and ball bearings. The motor, reducer, and powder coated finish of the weldments give the Model 4 exceptionally long life, even under the harshest conditions.