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Abanaki Specializes in Refinery Oil Skimmer Technology

Posted by Tom Hobson on Jan 24, 2019 2:05:56 PM

Refineries are capable of producing gasoline, jet fuel, or even asphalt and, like most large-scale high capacity plants, require process optimization and advanced process controls.

Oil skimming is a popular method for capturing and removing oil from wastewater in plant treatment systems. This process is mandatory to avoid fines and to produce fuel as economically and environmentally friendly as possible. Abanaki Corporation has successfully specialized in refinery oil skimmer technology for over 40 years. Oil skimmers work by making use of the differences in specific gravity and surface tension between oil and water. These physical characteristics allow the belts to attract oil and other hydrocarbon liquids from the surface of the fluid. Abanaki belt skimmers can be used in applications as deep as 100 feet.

By implementing an oil skimming solution, the goal to recapture 100% of all hydrocarbons before they go down the drain, can be achieved. The oil skimmer collects the bulk of the hydrocarbons and sends them back to a crude tank. Any residual oils can be removed through filtration or chemical treatment. The oil skimmer is operated 24 hours a day 7 days a week. A refinery oil skimmer requires very little oversight, no maintenance, and the time saved more than offsets the electrical costs.

The Model 8 oil skimmer is the most widely used Abanaki oil skimmer. Its size and removal capacity make it suitable for most applications. From a mere shimmer on top of water to a heavy oil slick, the Model 8 oil skimmer performs efficiently, removing up to 40 gallons of oil per hour.

The new solar-powered version of Abanaki’s popular Model 8 Oil Skimmer is available. It removes oil at up to 40 gph, where electrical power is unavailable or inconvenient.

The Abanaki Model MB oil skimmer is a dependable and effective means of removing oil from water and water-base solutions. Often, oil skimming by itself will reduce oil to an acceptable level of water purity. Depending on the characteristics of the liquid, it is possible for the Model MB alone to reduce oil content to less than five parts per million in water. The unit can be used as a pretreatment before filtration, and in conjunction with a coalescing system.

The Model 4 oil skimmer utilizes a continuous belt and wiper to remove up to 20 gallons of oil per hour from the fluid surface.

Depending on the application, a belt skimmer such as the units described above can be used or a tube skimmer like the Oil Viper would be another viable solution.  The Abanaki Oil Viper tube skimmer is a surface oil skimmer that 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.

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 oil skimmer for quicker oil removal. Removal rates can be as high as one hundred gallons per hour. It can be used in either shallow tanks or reservoirs.

To find out which of our skimmers would suit your application the best, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400, or click the button below to get our most detailed resource E-Book on our oil skimming equipment.

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Topics: refinery oil skimmer, model 4, model 8, oil skimmer, wastewater skimmer, refinery, industrial Wastewater treatment, model mb

Belt Oil Skimmers Should be Given Serious Consideration for Groundwater Remediation Equipment

Posted by Tom Hobson on Dec 17, 2018 11:15:00 AM

Sometimes, an important technological advance begins with a small step-back! Such is the case with remediation of hydrocarbons from groundwater utilizing existing recovery and monitoring wells.

For the past few years, state government has based decisions on the amount of clean up that they require by the risk posed to the environment. Risk Based Corrective Action, commonly called “Rebecca” (RBCA), is a process that utilizes the principles of exposure assessment, toxicity and mobility to make corrective action decisions on sites that are cost effective while still protecting human health as well as that of the environment. Many times all they require is removal of the free-phase product, allowing any emulsified contaminant to degrade with time. RBCA has saved many millions of dollars both for taxpayers and for businesses. With state regulatory agencies taking this approach, oil skimming devices have emerged as one of the most cost effective groundwater remediation equipment choices.

Wastewater engineers in industrial settings have, for many years, understood the value of skimmers in the removal of hydrocarbons from water. Food processing plants, the metals industry, machining firms and utilities have all used skimmers with great success for wastewater treatment. Recently, skimmer manufacturers have modified their product as groundwater remediation equipment. The belt skimmer’s ability to get into tight spaces and remove relatively large amounts of hydrocarbons lends itself perfectly to groundwater remediation.

Since most oils, fuels and other hydrocarbon liquids have the tendency to float on water, skimmers are designed to remove only the top, free-phase, product layer. With only product being removed, the cost and maintenance of other down-well and water treatment equipment can be eliminated. Another cost advantage to skimming is that in many cases the product can be salvaged for reuse – further reducing the overall price by eliminating the disposal cost.

The options for remediation equipment through recovery wells are practically unlimited since these wells come in a variety of sizes; any of the available technologies such as pump and treat of bio-remediation can be used in the correct size recovery well. Monitoring wells, however, are small, typically less than 4 inches in diameter. Initially installed for the monitoring of groundwater they are cheaper to construct and just large enough to allow a baling device or oil/water interface detector to pass through. As a cost savings measure, these small diameter wells are increasingly being used for product removal. With the increase in this new use, it is only natural that a number of devices are showing up claiming the ability to remove product through monitoring wells.

With the requirements for groundwater remediation systems becoming more reasonable, the use of skimming devices in lieu of pump and treat systems is increasing. The enormous expense involved with treating millions of gallons of water including the remediation equipment, monitoring and related maintenance is being replaced with a much more common sense attitude. Skimmers, especially belt skimmers, as a means of remediation equipment, not only meet the challenge but, most times exceed. Pump and treat still has a place in this industry, but the small step “backward” to time proven skimming, a more reasonable and cost effective method, cannot be overlooked.

To find out which of our skimmers would suit your application the best, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400, or click the button below to get our whitepaper, DNAPL A Threat? 9 Ways to Treat DNAPLs!

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Topics: oil skimmer, wastewater skimmer, petroxtractor, industrial Wastewater treatment

Wastewater Skimmer Keeps Rail Yard in Compliance

Posted by Tom Hobson on May 1, 2014 5:39:24 AM

Click here to receive a copy of our Solutions Sourcebook. This 43-page handbook offers application notes on more than 40 real-world implementations of oil skimming.
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Topics: belt skimmer, EPA, government, model 8, oil skimmer, wastewater skimmer, rail yard

Wastewater Skimmer Keeps Customer Environmentally Sound

Posted by Tom Hobson on Oct 29, 2013 6:16:17 AM

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.

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Topics: oil, south korea, oil skimmer, steel industry, korea, grease, oil recovery, abanaki, grease grabber, wastewater skimmer, environmental, steel, belt oil skimmer

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