Oil Skimmer Blog

No two skimming applications are perfectly alike and require forethought as to collection conditions. It is interesting to know that using different types of oil skimmer belt materials may improve the performance of an oil skimmer. In a parts washer application, temperature and pH levels may cause the need for a different type of oil skimmer belt so that the oil skimmer can work more effectively.

There is a great deal of variance in applications where belt skimmers are present. Figuring out what would be the best belt material for your belt skimmer will depend on a few factors. For the most part, belts pick up the oil in the same fashion so the big difference is finding what will give you the longest operating life. The two factors that play into your belt choice the most is your combination of temperature and pH levels.

Temperature provides a textbook example of these changes. Boiling temperatures can be catastrophic with the wrong skimmer belt type. The chart below indicates the appropriate belt for the most common applications.  The guidelines below are general, actual performance of belts will depend on the variables of each application.  Heat, for example, increases a belt's sensitivity to pH levels. To help choose the right belt for your application, Abanaki offers free samples of the available belt material for testing.

For more information about our oil skimmer belt selections, please request our oil skimmer belt guide by using the button below, or contact us via phone at (440) 543-7400 or via e-mail at skimmers@abanaki.com

Also read step by step guide to choosing an oil skimmer

Multiple options exist for the collection of tramp oils. Two of the most common are oil skimmers and coalescers. Both offer unique advantages and disadvantages in certain applications.

Coolant Coalescers

Coalescers focus on collecting oil into larger droplets. Using a filter medium, the oil is gathered into one place and combines into a larger oil droplet. heightening the differing densities of oil and water. The oil then floats to the top of the coalescer, allowing removal by other means. 

Coalescers have an advantage in specific coolant-related applications. Coalescers cover a bigger collection area than oil skimmers, speeding recovery and reducing need for moving the oil collection device.

Unlike skimmers, coalescers have no need for a collection container, preventing the potential for spillage. Abanaki's Oil Boss can also be hung from a metallic surface, preventing the floor space footprint of other coalescers and skimmers.

Oil Skimmers

Oil skimmers focus on removing tramp oils using oleophilic belts. These belts attract the tramp oils and drag them up to a trough where they are scraped off, removing them from the water or coolant. Different belts have different specialties, such as steel belts being suited for LNAPLs and tramp oils.  

Oil skimmers have an advantage in more varied conditions. Able to be used in high temperature applications where plastic coalescers might face pump failures, skimmers can withstand more extreme environments.

In addition, oil skimmers do not have to worry about pumps clogged by shavings or solid byproducts like coalescers might. Dirty oil can also go back into the sump in coalescers, while oil is completely removed by a skimmer.

Oil skimmers also have more applications than coalescers, such as environmental remediation. 

For more information about our line of coalescers and skimmers, take a look at our product catalog, or contact us via phone at (440) 543-7400 or via e-mail at skimmers@abanaki.com.

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.

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A belt is to a skimmer like wheels to a car’s chassis: although the latter is the most identifiable part, it needs the former to actually run. Just like tires, belts are not one size fits all. Just as there are snow tires, street tires, year-round tires, and more, so too are there a variety of belt materials. So what purpose does each serve?

The wastewater pits in Steel Mills are a particularly harsh place for oil skimmers to operate. The heavy oils and greases that are typically found in the scale-pits can wear out an oil skimmer if the right skimmer and belt material is not being used.