Oil Skimmer Blog

Abanaki has just released an animated demo for a product from the groundwater remediation equipment line. The video demonstrates the PetroXtractor Active Membrane Skimmer, which is a pneumatic active skimmer pump that is entirely automatic and is designed to recover light non aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL) from underground water at depths of up to 130 feet.

Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital outlay and oil skimming operation costs. The second step in selecting an oil skimmer is to know what you need or expect your removal capacity to be. 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.

Choosing an oil skimmer best suited for your application will maximize oil removal while minimizing capital outlay and oil skimming operation costs. The first step in choosing an oil skimmer is to define the operating conditions in which the skimmer will be operating. All oil skimmers have a moving medium, and possibly other parts, immersed in the liquid. The performance and life of the pick-up medium, wiper blades, pulleys, etc. are affected by different conditions. These conditions include temperatures in and out of the liquid, pH of the solution, and the presence of solvents or other reactive chemicals.

Myth: Belt oil skimmers only pick up free-floating oil in the immediate area of the belt in oil skimming applications.

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.

A customer in South Korea recently contacted Abanaki in search of a wastewater skimmer. The company is a steel mill that makes hot and cold rolled steel, as well as other types. The problem the facility was facing was that lubrication grease and oil from the production line was ending up in the wastewater pit. The water cannot be discharged until the grease and oil levels are reduced to environmentally safe levels. After further assessment of the company’s manufacturing process, Abanaki suggested it use a Grease Grabber ® Belt Oil Skimmer to solve the problem. This skimmer is capable of handling thick greases and oils due to its belt drive assembly that physically pulls the belt through the wiper blades. The heated discharge hopper thins down the grease to make for easier discharge of the recovered product. By adding the Grease Grabber as a wastewater skimmer to its process, the company was able to remove the floating greases and oils from the wastewater pit, the pollution levels were reduced and met environmental standards.

A US customer utilizes an Oil Viper Tube Skimmer at an abandoned steel mill in an old scale pit. The tube skimmer is used to collect the oil that leaches from the scale. Within the first 24 hours of use, the Oil Viper reclaimed 250 gallons of oil. Because of the immediate success they saw with the initial tube skimmer, the plant operators chose to get a second Oil Viper to help speed the reclamation process along. The skimmers will be used all year long with the exception of the winter months, in which the pit will freeze over.

A US customer previously purchased a 2” solar powered PetroXtractor™ as part of its groundwater remediation system. The unit was being used in desert like conditions to pull oil from a well. Although the PetroXtractor was successfully remediating the oil from the well, the facility was having problems with the environment affecting the process. Sand was getting blown in and onto the belt and was mixing with the retained oil. After contacting Abanaki for a solution, it was decided that the company would benefit from utilizing a vapor tight model. Typically, Abanaki doesn’t offer the vapor tight model with the solar powered kit. However, since the problem at hand in this particular application wasn’t about keeping vapors in, but rather keeping debris out, the vapor tight was the ideal solution. The vapor tight unit features an enclosure around the belt that goes down into the well. This helps in keeping the sand and debris from reaching the belt, and mixing with the oil. With the new addition of the vapor tight option with its solar powered PetroXtractor kit, the company’s operation is now operating smoothly.

A metals manufacturer in TN was experiencing issues with one of its processes in which they use a Mighty Mini Belt Oil Skimmer. They were using the Mighty Mini with a stainless steel belt to skim sodium hydroxide from a tank that had a pH of 12 and a temperature of 170 degrees. These conditions were causing the stainless steel belt to become brittle and it started to crack during operation. The company reached out to Abanaki to find a solution to its problem. After being made aware of the operating conditions, it was determined that the facility needed to use a high temperature polymer belt for this specific operation. This belt material can withstand much higher temperatures and harsh chemical environments. After using the new belt material, the company’s operation has been running smoothly with no problems to report.