Oil Skimmer Blog

Written By:  John Logar

Abanaki’s Model 8 Oil Skimmer helps companies remove oil and other hydrocarbons from fracking wastewater.  Generally, the flowback from fracking sites is loaded into tankers and transported to a central site where the water is drained into large tanks for treatment. The Model 8 Oil Skimmer is designed to remove oil and other hydrocarbons from the fracking wastewater before filtration and the final stage of disposal into the sewer system.  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 floating hydrocarbon liquids from the surface of the frac fluid.  An oil skimmer requires very little oversight, no maintenance, and is a very cost effective solution due to low energy requirements.  The Model 8 may be your answer to remove unwanted oil from fracking wastewater.

Written By:  Megan Wurm

Oil skimmers are not a new topic or technology but the Marcellus Shale formation and fracking are a hot topic.  Many oil companies are mining this formation for natural gas.  Typically where the debate comes in is what are they doing with the wastewater that is created from fracking?   The wastewater from fracking contains chemicals, oil, gas, sand, and brine.  Oil skimmers are providing a solution for the contaminated wastewater when it comes to the oil and gas.  The oil skimmer works on the simple principles of specific gravity and breaking the surface tension of the water; as the oil skimmer breaks the surface tension oil is drawn to the belt.   As this happens the oil can be collected from the fracking wastewater and sent for further treatment and then properly discharged or recycled from there.  Oil skimmers are a helpful tool in dealing with wastewater applications and apply to many industries.   See our full line of oil skimmers.

Written By:  Cole Solberg

We often come across customers looking for a belt oil skimmer that can be used on numerous tanks.  They have numerous totes that only need oil skimmed out every once in a while.  A good fit for this application usually ends up being our Tote-It belt oil skimmer.  At about 40 pounds, this unit is easy to carry from one tote to the next.  This belt oil skimmer comes in different belt widths and lengths to help customize how much oil will need removed and the tank dimensions.  This level of mobility can eliminate the need for having one belt oil skimmer for every tote or trying to carry around a more cumbersome unit to each tank.

Written By:  John Logar

Abanaki’s Stainless Steel Model 8 Belt Oil Skimmer is designed to work in some of the harshest conditions. A large chemical company approached Abanaki concerning issues they were having with a competitor’s skimmer not holding up to the chemicals in their tank. The unit was being “eaten away” from the harsh surroundings it was placed in and besides that, the skimming media would only last a short period of time before it would fail and have to be replaced. Abanaki suggested our Stainless Steel Model 8 with our high-temp poly belt designed for these harsh conditions.  The Model 8 has been in place for over two years without any issues.

Written By:  Jim Linaburg

Did you know that a belt oil skimmer can save you money?  Using a belt oil skimmer is a very efficient way of picking up free floating oil in your tank or pit without the collection of unnecessary water.  Due to the low water pickup, the use of a belt oil skimmer will allow you to re-use used oil and provide cost savings to you and your company.  Many of the oil companies that come out with “pickup (sucker) trucks” will charge you more for disposal if you have a high amount of water in your oil.  By using a belt oil skimmer, you will reduce the price a “sucker truck” charges you to haul away your used oil.  Another thing to consider if using a belt oil skimmer is, again because of the low water pickup, the used oil picked up by the oil skimmer could be re-used in a used oil heater which gives you free heat in the winter months.  Not only are you not paying someone to pick up your used oil, you’re not paying as much for heating in the cold months….it’s a win-win.

Written By:  Cole Solberg

The ability to remove oil from water is a common problem that can cost a lot of money when not properly dealt with.  The green movement has placed an unprecedented concentration on keeping our world clean.  This concentration has led to stricter laws and higher penalties.  In the past, many factories would see hydrocarbons in their wastewater and proceed to discharge it into the sewer system.  Various agencies will monitor the amounts of hydrocarbons in wastewater now and hand out hefty fines for improper discharging.  Oil skimmers can remove oil from water to make it suitable for releasing into the sewage system.  Abanaki oil skimmers can save money and reduce stress from the steep penalties.

Written By:  John Logar

The PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer is a fine choice for coal tar applications. Recently an environmental firm came to Abanaki looking for a way to remove coal tar from a well application.  Since it was a DNAPL they were trying to remove, they were skeptical that the PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer would work. They had used the PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer in the past on LNAPLs and it worked great, but they never thought it would work in a DNAPL application. With the recommendation of Abanaki’s Sales Manager, John Logar, they were willing to try the unit in one of their wells. Abanaki adds stabilizer bars to most DNAPL applications to work with the heavier product.  They agreed to try the PetroXtractor for their coal tar application. After a few weeks in operation with the unit working satisfactorily, they came back to Abanaki and ordered a second unit. The Abanaki PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer works well in both LNAPL and DNAPL applications.   Watch how the PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer removes hydrocarbons from wells.

Written By:  Megan Wurm

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.    See the Oil Viper tube oil skimmer in action!

Written By:  Jim Linaburg

After a recent trip up North to a power plant that utilizes the PetroXtractor belt oil skimmer with the poly oil skimmer belt, I discovered just how well the poly belt has been performing.  Due to the freezing temperatures in the area during the winter season, water pickup was a major concern for this site.  Previous applications seemed to pickup a substantial amount of water along with product and the collection tanks would eventually freeze due to the water content.  After switching to the poly oil skimmer belt, the oil skimmers started picking up more pure diesel and less water.  With the addition of the poly oil skimmer belt, these oil skimmers can now run all season long, picking up more diesel and less water.  Less water also means more cost effective disposal, for instance, the power plant now uses their recovered diesel as an in-house heating fuel.  Saving money and the environment, it’s a win-win for everyone.

Written By:  Cole Solberg

When it comes to separating oil from water and coolant, belt oil skimmers are among the least expensive units for maintenance.  Belt oil skimmers need very little attention for everyday use.  The items that will need to be changed from time to time are the belt and wipers.  This is because these are the parts that eventually wear from contact.  It is typically a good idea to have a spare oil skimmer belt and wipers on hand so that you can get your belt oil skimmer up and running with little to no downtime.  As the wipers wear down, they will slowly become less and less effective.  The belt can wear down in a number of ways until it eventually breaks.  Belts can last a long time depending on the application, but it is always good to be prepared when you are in need of that back-up belt.