DNAPL Recovery Made Easy
Field technician checking a PX-A.
Recovering DNAPL (Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid) products is never an easy task. Recovering an extremely viscous DNAPL, like coal tar for example, can be a nightmare. With viscosity approaching 20,000 ssu at ambient temperatures, devices that need hydrophobic screens become useless. There are other options, however, like the PetroXtractor® belt oil skimmer from Abanaki Corporation.
Abanaki PetroXtractor for DNAPL Recovery
Coupled with their custom engineered Polybelt, the PetroXtractor oil skimmer has successfully been installed, tested, and is actively working at several sites to remove coal tar and other DNAPLs from wells and sumps.
An east coast utility has been recovering a coal tar product for several months utilizing this oil recovery 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 these particular 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 virtually eliminate any possible 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 sans timers.
“We learned some valuable lessons from these sites,” says Bob Thibodeau, Abanaki’s former 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.
Copyright Abanaki Corporation.
