For industrial oil skimming, there are six basic designs commonly used in moving media skimmers. (Suction skimmers are excluded, as they are generally unsuitable except for relatively thick (1/4 inch) layers of oil; otherwise they tend to ingest large amounts of water.)

In more demanding situations, skimming is a cost-effective means of removing most of the oil before using more complicated and costly treatments, such as coalescers, membrane filters and chemical processes.

Belt-Type Skimmers

Belt-type skimmers use an endless belt of stainless steel, elastomer or polymer medium, which is lowered into the tank or vessel to be skimmed. The belt passes through the fluid, and then through the skimmer's resilient wiper blades where the oil is removed from both sides of the skimmer medium. Removal rate is not affected by belt length. The length is chosen to ensure contact with the liquid at its lowest level. The belt length should also allow easy mounting of the skimmer where oil discharge is convenient, and assure easy access for routine service. Lengths up to 100 feet or more are possible.

Mop Skimmers

Mop skimmers use an endless medium shaped like a rope that has mop-like tendrils that pick up the oil. As the medium leaves the liquid and enters the drive unit, it is pressed and wrung out with pinch rollers. For higher viscosity oils, this medium tends to mat down and lose effectiveness. Generally, a decantation system must be used with these units, as water pickup can be quite high. Also, replacement mops tend to be more expensive than belt type media.

Large Tube Skimmers

Large tube skimmers use a floating plastic hose that snakes out over the surface of the liquid and is then drawn back through the drive unit where oil is removed. This design requires a relatively large amount of fluid surface area for proper operation. Length considerations are the same as for belt skimmers; a typical tube diameter is 1 inch. 

Mini Tube Skimmers

Mini tube skimmers are very similar to the larger tube units, but typically have either a 3/16-inch or a 5/16-inch diameter tube. The 5/16-inch diameter is preferable as it has enough stiffness to not drag on the housing and prematurely wipe off oil when drawn into the unit. Pickup rates vary from 1 quart/hour to 1.5 gph, depending on diameter and speed. These units can be used where space is limited. Units that have the motor mounted underneath reduce the amount of space required over the rim of the tank to nearly zero.

Disk Skimmers

Disk skimmers rotate a disk-shaped medium through the liquid. Oil is wiped off and discharged into a collection container in a manner similar to belt skimmers. When specifying disk diameter, it is important to consider reach, the portion of the disk that actually gets immersed. Less disk area in the fluid means less oil removed. Obviously, fluctuating fluid levels can be a real problem.

Also, it is important to look at how much of the disk the wipers are actually wiping. If they wipe only 2 inches from the edge, then any reach into the fluid beyond 2 inches is wasted. As a result, removal capacities for disks can be relatively low.

Drum/Barrel Style Skimmers

Drum/barrel styles are similar to the disk type, but use a rotating drum-shaped medium. Compared to disk types, they are usually more rugged and have higher removal capacity. These units can also be rendered ineffective by fluctuating fluid levels.

When properly selected and applied, oil skimmers are highly economical solutions for separating oil from water to allow its reuse or safe disposal.

All of our coolant skimmers are rugged, reliable and low maintenance. Removal capacities range from 1 to 200 gallons per hour. Browse the types of oil skimmers and oil skimming accessories in our website www.abanaki.com or contact our experts at 440-543-7400 to find the right solution for your application.

Unfamiliar with our Oil Skimming products? Go to the Skimmer Selection page to view the types of oil skimmers for every application.

Watch this video to see how do industrial belt skimmers work.

Tube oil skimmer is a surface tube oil skimmer that can effectively removes floating surface oils by means of an oleophilic (oil attracting) 3/4 inch diameter continuous looped tube. The tube extends out over the surface of the tank or pit and collects the free floating oils.

Abanaki tube oil skimmer (The Oil Viper) has a specially designed method for removing the oil from the tube. It has a unique wiper combination attached to the tube itself in addition to the ceramic wiper on the skimmer. The result is a virtually oil free tube as it leaves the surface oil skimmer for quicker oil removal. Removal rates can be as high as one hundred gallons per hour.

How Does a Tube Oil Skimmer Work?

The Oil Viper tube oil skimmer can be used in wastewater applications that are shallow in depth. The Oil Viper tube oil skimmer is a great fit where a belt skimmer is too big. Due to the sleek design of the Oil Viper tube oil skimmer it can skim in just inches of water compared to a belt skimmer which could need one to two feet of water to skim from.

The Oil Viper tube oil skimmer works off the same principle of the belt skimmer, the tube breaks the surface tension of the water, the oil is then collected and skimmed off by its unique wipe clean design. Two tube materials are available, the standard tube is great in a wide variety of applications; the high temperature tube is best suited for high temperature or caustic applications.

Large Tube Oil Skimmer  

Large tube skimmers use a floating plastic hose that snakes out over the surface of the liquid and is then drawn back through the drive unit where oil is removed. This design requires a relatively large amount of fluid surface area for proper operation. Length considerations are the same as for belt skimmers; a typical tube diameter is 1 inch.

Small Tube Oil Skimmer

Mini tube skimmers are very similar to the larger tube units, but typically have either a 3/16-inch or a 5/16-inch diameter tube. The 5/16-inch diameter is preferable as it has enough stiffness to not drag on the housing and prematurely wipe off oil when drawn into the unit. Pickup rates vary from 1 quart/hour to 1.5 gph, depending on diameter and speed. These units can be used where space is limited. Units that have the motor mounted underneath reduce the amount of space required over the rim of the tank to nearly zero.

Video: Tube Oil Skimmer | Oil Viper | Abanaki

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

You are just one step away from downloading the most dependable and effective Oil Viper Tube Oil Skimmer brochure. Simply click at the button to get your brochure now.

For industrial oil skimming, there are six basic designs commonly used:

1. Belt Skimmers
2. Disk Skimmers
3. Drum/Barrel Styles
4. Mop Skimmers
5. Tube Skimmers (Large and Mini)
6. Floating Suction Skimmers

Belt Oil Skimmers

Belt-type oil skimmers use an endless belt of corrosion resistant steel or synthetic medium, which is lowered into the tank or vessel to be skimmed. The belt passes through resilient wiper blades where the oil is removed from both sides of the medium.

Belt machines provide a simple, dependable and cost-effective method for removing oil, grease and other hydrocarbons from water.

Disk Oil Skimmers

These oil skimmers rotate a disk-shaped medium through the liquid. Oil is wiped off and discharged into a collection container in a manner similar to belt oil skimmers. It is important to consider reach, the portion of the disk that actually gets immersed,

when looking at a disk oil skimmer. Less disk in the fluid means less oil removed. Obviously, fluctuating fluids can be a real problem for disk oil skimmers.

Drum/Barrel Styles

These are similar to the disk type, but use a rotating drum shaped medium. Compared to disk types, they are usually more rugged and have higher removal capacity. Depending on the design, these units can also be rendered ineffective by fluctuating fluid levels. Also, water pickup with this type of oil skimmer can be high.

Mop Oil Skimmers

These oil skimmers use an endless medium shaped like a rope and having mop-like tendrils that pick up the oil. As the medium leaves the liquid and enters the drive unit, it is pressed and wrung out with pinch rollers. For higher viscosity oils, the medium tends to mat down and lose effectiveness. A decant system is a must for these units, as water pickup can be very high. Also, replacement oil mops can be very expensive, so check prices on replacements before purchasing.

Tube Skimmers

Large Tube Skimmers

Tube oil skimmers use a floating plastic hose that snakes out over the surface of the liquid and is then drawn back through the drive unit where oil is removed. This design requires a relatively large amount of surface area for proper operation. This oil skimmer can skim from very shallow tanks. As a rule, the removal capacity is lower than belt, drum or mop type oil skimmers.

Mini Tube

Very similar to the large tube units, but use either a 3/16″ or a 5/16″ tube instead of 1″. The pickup rate varies from 1 quart/hour to 1.5 gph depending on the diameter of the tube. These tube skimmers are fairly compact, and can fit in tight spots. The better units will have the motor mounted underneath, to bring room required over the lip of the tank down to near zero. The 5/16″ diameter tube is preferable as it has a 1 gph removal capacity and enough stiffness to not drag on the housing and prematurely wipe off oil when being drawn into the unit.

Floating Suction Skimmers

These come in several forms, but all have a floating intake. They are most suitable for relatively thick layers of oil (1/4 inch or higher); otherwise, they tend to ingest large amounts of water. Some machines will actually emulsify oil due to churning as it passes through the suction pump. This type of oil skimmer requires a coalescing or at least a decanting unit to be at all effective. The standard drive on all units is an electric motor and gear reducer. Other drive types available.

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

Click below and download Abanaki's most detailed resource on our oil skimming equipment.

It’s the age old question; which is better? The belt skimmer or the tube skimmer for collecting floating surface oils from various applications? Some feel that belt skimmers work better because it takes up less space while still collecting oil from large surface areas. Other people feel that the tube skimmer works better because the tube covers more of the tank or pit’s surface. The fact is that both skimmers use the same principle of breaking the surface tension of the water to allow the oil to adhere to either the belt or the tube.

There are a lot of belt and tube oil skimmers out there, but how do you figure out which one will work best for your specific application? There are two things that should be looked at immediately. First, how many gallons per hour of oil are you looking to remove? Every skimmer model is rated for the gallons per hour that can be removed. The next thing to look at would be the dimensions of your tank. The different sizes of skimmers will be able to pull in oil from different distances. Even if you have a fairly low amount of oil, a smaller skimmer may not work if the surface area is too large.

You can make your own decision which is best by visiting www.abanaki.com . There is a full line of belt skimmers and tube skimmers to compare. Or, the best way to match up a proper skimmer to your exact application is to call your Abanaki sales representative @440-543-7400.

There is a skimming system for virtually any application.Fill out the form, and you will have immediate access to this guide.

Under most operating conditions, Abanaki’s TubeTastic! picks up oil with only small traces of water or coolant. However, as surface oil is reduced to a thin layer (1/16 inch thick or less), more water (or coolant) may be picked up along with the oil. When used in tandem with the TubeTastic, the Oil Concentrator solves this problem by providing final phase separation. The result is water (or coolant) available for recycling, and virtually water-free oil for disposal.

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.

Choosing the right oil skimmer may improve the oil collection rate depending on the application. In a parts washer application, a belt skimmer is usually the best choice because of its small footprint and its ability to use various belt types to handle harsh conditions. Shallow wastewater sumps may have less than one foot of water, requiring a tube type oil skimmer that uses a tube that can float on the surface and collect the oil without bottoming out. Standard coolant sumps may be able to be cleaned up with an inexpensive disk skimmer while other sumps may have very little access. Some sumps can only be accessed with an oil skimmer that can bolt to the side of the tank and have a tube access the sump through a cutout in the side of the tank. If you're not sure which skimmer would best suit your plant's application, contact an Abanaki's sales rep today and they'll help determine which oil skimmer is right for your application! Or click the photo below to launch our Oil Skimmer Selection guide and click the X that fits your application to find out what skimmer is best for you.