Skimmer With Rolling Stand Helps Prevent Oily Water Discharge
The PetroXtractor removes oil and hydrocarbons from water. Its continuous belt collects oil from wastewater pits and wells.
Avedon Engineering is a customized plastic parts manufacturer. With production in two Longmont, CO buildings, the company operates 27 heavily used injection molding machines.
The Problem
Despite continuous fitting replacement and upgrades, it became difficult to eliminate the hydraulic and lubricating oils that resulted from normal machine operations and maintenance. This oil ultimately ended up in different wastewater pits throughout the plant.
Because of the high oil content, city officials would not allow plant wastewater to enter the Longmont sanitary sewer system. This meant that Avedon had to disconnect collection pits from sewer lines and contract with a hazardous waste disposal company to have wastewater hauled away at 32¢/gallon. Prior to pumping water out of the pits, a sample would be taken to determine if any solvent was present. If it was, the disposal cost jumped to $575/barrel.
Faced with the staggering costs of wastewater recycling, Jerry Speckeen, Avedon’s Maintenance Manager, started looking for alternatives. The goal was to make the wastewater sewer compatible with a reasonable investment in equipment and operating costs. He found a solution in the Abanaki PetroXtractor oil skimming unit.
How the Oil Skimmer Solved the Problem
The PetroXtractor was originally designed for monitoring and remediation wells. It utilizes a continuously rotating 1” belt that fits easily into small openings on collection pit covers. During operation, the skimmer can remove up to three gallons of oil per hour.
Oil skimming makes use of the differences in specific gravity and surface tension between oil and water. These physical characteristics allow the skimmer to attract oil from the surface of the water using an oleophilic belt. Speckeen also devised a rolling stand (which he calls the “I-V” stand because of its resemblance to those seen in hospitals) in order for the unit to be used at multiple collection pits. The stand is also designed to straddle a 55-gallon drum used to collect the skimmed oil.
Using this I-V stand, the Petro can be rolled to each collection pit, operating anywhere there is a source of 115 VAC power for the fan-cooled fractional horsepower gear motor. Next, the belt assembly (length customized for the application) is inserted through a small opening in the steel lid and lowered into the water. During operation, the belt cycles through the wastewater, travels over the head pulley, and then through tandem wiper blades that scrape oil off both sides of the belt. Collected oil flows through a discharge channel that can be connected to a hose.
Although skimmed oil can usually be handled in the same fashion as automotive drain oil, Avedon is currently storing it with the intent to recycle it. Samples have been sent to a testing lab to identify the type of contaminants present, and their findings will be used to determine the type of equipment required to process the oil. Ultimately, the goal is to make it suitable for reuse in the hydraulic systems.
