Oil Skimmer Blog

Tramp oil is a term that describes any unwanted hydrocarbon-based substance that contaminates machine coolant. This issue occurs mostly metalworking and manufacturing industries. Tramp oils can lead to numerous problems that affect work environment safety, production efficiency, and the cost control abilities.

What causes Tramp Oil?

How do these hydrocarbon-based substances find their way into a coolant sump?

There are a few different avenues.

Machining centers employ various linear motion and rotary motion components such as bearings, slides, ball screws, and spindles that require lubrication to function efficiently. Over time, these lubricants can find their way to the machining center platform where they mix with cutting fluid or coolant.

Another source of contamination is from the materials being processed in the machining center. Most stock metals have a corrosion prevention coating which is typically oil based. If the oil based coating is not removed prior to machining, it will end up mixing with the coolant.

Problems Associated with Tramp Oils

Tramp oil contaminated coolant causes a variety of problems if not separated and removed.

First, the coolant’s performance ability suffers. This is because oil in coolant reduces the coolant fluid’s ability to reduce temperatures effectively. Any oil that is present in the cutting fluid will promote heat generated by the tool, which can shorten tool life considerably.

Another consequence of oil coming in contact with a hot cutting tool is smoke. At high temperatures, the oil can become hot enough to burn. This can create unsafe working conditions.

When left alone, tramp oils that settle in coolant become breeding grounds for anaerobic bacteria. The oil essentially prevents oxygen from mixing with the coolant, which can promote the growth of anaerobic bacteria. Workers who come in contact with these bacteria are susceptible to contact dermatitis. The bacteria can also generate hydrogen sulfide gas, which emits an unpleasant rotten egg odor.

Removal & Separation Solutions

There are two common methods for removing tramp oils from coolant. These are coalescers and oil skimmers.

Coalescers consolidate small oil particles into larger droplets. Filters or baffles are then gather larger droplets for removal. Coalescers are a good option for larger area applications as they have greater collection area than skimmers.

Skimmers utilize the differing specific gravities between oil and coolant/water to remove tramp oils. A motor driven belt that is typically constructed of an oleophilic, or oil attractant material, is placed into a coolant sump or reservoir. As the belt moves through the coolant, it attracts tramp oils. The oil is scraped off by a wiper and deposited into a container.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Abanaki has a new reference that can help you choose the right skimmer and the right size to ensure years of worry-free operation.

Click button below to access our “How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers” webinar to learn how to get the most out of your skimmer.

The use of an oil skimmer in the machine shop setting holds many benefits. Removing the oil from a machine coolant tank will initiate some esthetic benefits such as cutting down on the amount of smoke generated from the cutting tool coming into contact with oil laden coolant.

Bacteria Build-Up with “Rotten Egg” Smell

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.

Contrary to popular belief the common types of bacteria found in metalworking fluids do not cause dermatitis. However, if the skin is broken, bacteria that normally inhabit the skin may enter and cause infection. The presence of phosphates and carbonates that increase alkalinity in the coolant, however, can cause dermatitis. These impurities are found in the water being used in the coolant mix.

Cost-Saving with Coolant Oil Skimmer

Separating the oil from the coolant will also help reduce disposal costs. The cost of disposing of oil laden coolant is more expensive than disposing of oil. In fact, in some instances, companies may be able to re-use the oil elsewhere or sell it for recycling. Having oil free coolant can also extend its usefulness and effectiveness, reducing the expense on maintenance and coolant replacement. As the research on the different types of oil skimmers begins, a person will find that there are a variety of skimmers available to them. The most common types are the belt, disk, and tube skimmers. Each type of coolant skimmer has its advantages and disadvantages.

Other Factors to be Considered in Oil Skimming

There are also many factors that need to be considered when choosing the correct type of oil skimmer to fit the appropriate application. Factors such as water level fluctuation, water temperature, pH level, the use of rust inhibitors, the amount of oil to be skimmed, quality, and cost, must all be considered when selecting an oil skimmer.

The use of rust inhibitors, high temperatures, and variable pH levels can affect the skimmers ability to pick up oil. Most skimmer manufacturers use a variety of materials for the skimming medium such as plastic, stainless steel, or poly blends to match the solution in which they will be used.

There are a multitude of oil skimmers on the market today. One of the most important things to be considered is the quality of the unit to be purchased. Points of interest should include construction materials, motor design, and the type of warranty that is offered. Is the skimmer housing made of metal or plastic? Is the motor fan-cooled? Does the motor use needle bearings or bronze bearings? How long does the warranty last and what does it cover? Most oil skimmers will perform as advertised, but remember the old adage that “you get what you pay for”.

To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com

Abanaki has a new reference that can help you choose the right skimmer and the right size to ensure years of worry-free operation.

Click button below to access our “How to Successfully Implement Oil Skimmers” webinar to learn how to get the most out of your skimmer.

Abanaki is proud to announce that our technology partner in the Philippines, Resource One/Fluid Solutions, exhibited at the International Metalworking Philippines (IMTP2018) Show, held in Manila in August of this year. The show, which is backed by associations based in industries such as die and mold making, aerospace, and automotive parts manufacturing, saw participation from companies located in eleven different countries. 

With the manufacturing sector seeing tremendous growth recently in the Philippines, IMTP2018 provided an excellent venue for vendors and manufacturers to establish new relationships. This was certainly the case for the representatives from Resource One/Fluid Solutions, who source the best and most appropriate lubricating technologies and coolant maintenance equipment for the most demanding applications in metalworking, as they were able to showcase some bright new stars in their product line. 

One such piece of equipment is the Abanaki Oil Boss Oil Skimmer, a new addition to the Abanaki coolant maintenance range. The Oil Boss is designed for use with machining centers, namely keeping tool coolant free of tramp oil, which is imperative for extending coolant life and reducing bacterial growth in coolant sumps. These units are small but robust, with an effective magnetic mounting system that allows the unit to be located for easy access. The magnetic mounting base also makes these units portable, so they can be moved from machine to machine as needed. This versatility makes the Oil Boss uniquely capable of conquering your shop’s coolant cleaning demands.

To learn more about the Oil Boss, please contact Abanaki Corporation at 440-543-7400 to find their solution or click the button below to get our Oil Boss Oil Skimmer brochure.

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:

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.

Well, if you don’t have time to sit down and prepare a list of important changes you want to make at work, Abanaki 7 ½ easy “oil skimming” ways to keep in 2017 might be your best bet. If you are looking for effective ways of changing your work life for the better, then you’ll be sure to find tons of useful information here.

Abanaki Corporation, the world leader in oil skimming technologies, announces the addition of the Oil Boss® Oil Skimmer to its extensive coolant maintenance product line. The Oil Boss solves problems that have plagued regular skimmers in machine shops.