DNAPL Recovery Made Easy

Field technician checking a PX-A.

Recovering DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) product is never an easy task. Recovering an extremely viscous DNAPL, such as coal tar, can be a nightmare. With viscosity approaching 20,000 ssu at ambient temperatures, devices that need hydrophobic screens become useless; however, the solution is simple – a PetroXtractor® belt oil skimmer made by Abanaki Corporation, Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Coupled with their specially engineered Polybelt, the PetroXtractor oil skimmer has successfully been installed, tested and is working at several sites to remove coal tar and other DNAPL’s from wells and sumps.

An east coast utility has been recovering a coal tar product for several months utilizing this method. They have three wells which require all three sizes of the PetroXtractor Oil Skimmer – the PX-A (2″ wells), PX-B (4″ wells) and PX-C (6″+ wells). Product is located between 35’ and 40’ deep in their wells. Each of the units is equipped with a timer to reduce water pickup, pad heaters to help product flow out of the unit and ceramic wiper blades, which will virtually eliminate wiper blade wear.

Another site, in Washington state, has been removing a #6 fuel oil/ Bunker C that sinks, floats and is neutrally buoyant. They are utilizing six PetroXtractors, model PX-A with 4 on customized stands. The typical stand is 4’ tall, but because of special requirements 2’ stands were needed. This product is also located 35’ to 40’ deep and their units are set up the same as those on the east coast, without the timers.

“We learned some valuable lessons from these sites,” says Bob Thibodeau, Abanaki’s Product Manager for the PetroXtractor line. “Each site had unique problems which we had to address. We made a few changes to our standard unit, and their PetroXtractors have been working successfully ever since.”

Abanaki’s reputation for working with customers to resolve problems is well known throughout the industrial sector and is quickly becoming known in the remediation field as well. A full, unconditional, money-back guaranty is offered for 30 days in addition to the standard one year on parts and workmanship (belts and wiper blades are 60 days).

Copyright Abanaki Corporation.