Half Sized Blog Element (Single Author Style)
Half Sized Blog Element (Multi Author Style)
Typical Applications for Industrial Oil Skimmers
Full Sized Blog Element (Big Preview Pic)
An oil skimmer is a device that uses a belt, tube, or disk placed directly into the product containing oil. The belt, tube, or disk attracts the oil by breaking the surface tension of the water and then runs back to the machine to be wiped clean. If your skimmer is sized right, it will be able to pull the free-floating oil from anywhere in the tank or pit. Oil skimmers should be purchased more by size than by the volume of oil to ensure you are able to skim from the whole surface area.
What Size of Oil Skimmer You Should Purchase?
Oil skimmers operate with a very basic principle. That basic principle is the breaking of surface tension to attract oil to the belt or tube. Because of this design, it is critical to size the oil skimmer according to the surface area being skimmed rather than the amount of oil in the tank.
For example, you could have a tank or pit that measure 144 square feet but only contains 2-4 gallons of oil at any particular time. Sizing the oil skimmer according to 2-4 gallons versus the surface area would yield unproductive results. Yes, you may only have small amounts of oil, but if your oil skimmer is undersized, that oil skimmer will not have enough power to break the surface tension with enough force to bring oil from the other side of the tank.
Therefore, you could run the oil skimmer for days and never retrieve the oil from the far side of your collection point. Always take into account how large of an area you want to skim oil from when determining what oil skimmer will work best for your application.
Video: How To Tell What Skimmer You Need For Your Machine Coolant
To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com
Wastewater Sumps
Most manufacturing or processing facilities have water systems where waste oil collects in a central tank or sump. Skimming the floating oils with little water content can reduce the cost of disposal and lower the contingent liabilities of wastewater discharge.
Coolants and Cutting Fluids
When machine coolants become contaminated with tramp oils, four things usually occur:
- Coolant life is reduced.
- Quality of machined parts is reduced.
- In many cases, a smoke will begin to appear in the shop, causing irritation to the workers on the job.
- The fluid takes on a “rotten egg” odor.
Oil skimmers that remove tramp oils solve these problems and typically pay for themselves within a few months.
Heat Treating
Quench oils that must be removed from heat treated parts can be captured for re-use or disposal. The results are lower quench oil costs, prolonged wash water life and lower disposal costs.
Parts Washers
Floating oils re-contaminate parts as they are removed from a wash tank. Oil skimmers can remove this oil. The benefits of using an oil skimmer are oil free parts and extended fluid life.
Food Processing Facilities
Removal of vegetable oils, greases, and animal fats from a plant’s wastewater stream reduces the costs of processing and disposal.
Steel Mills/Scale Pits
Most steel mills have scale pits in which grease and heavy oils accumulate. In order to avoid fines from the government and expensive sand bed filters, steel mills must limit the amount of grease in wastewater discharged into the environment. Reclaimed grease and oil can be re-used or used as furnace fuel, avoiding sucker truck disposal costs.
Parking Lots, Garages and Service Facilities
Waste oil from leaks, spills and other sources must be retrieved from sumps before water can be discharged to storm or sanitary sewers.
Outdoor Ponds, Lakes, Basins, Etc.
Where floating oils are present, oil skimmers provide inexpensive and effective removal, solving a serious environmental problem.
Recovery/Monitoring Wells
Removing oil, fuel and other hydrocarbon liquid from wells can be more cost-effective using a belt skimmer instead of a down well pump. Oil skimmers don’t have nearly the maintenance issues and can reach depths of 100 feet or more, removing product despite fluctuating water tables. Oil skimmers can handle very thick fluids effortlessly and some (like the Abanaki PetroXtractor®) can remove sinking DNAPL’s such as coal tar and creosote from water.
To learn more about oil skimmers, please contact our experts at 440-543-7400 or visit our website: www.abanaki.com
Abanaki Corporation Oil Skimming Division
17387 Munn Road
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
Phone: (440) 543-7400
Email: skimmers@abanaki.com
Fax: (440) 543-7404
ISO 9001:2015 Certified Company
Terms and Conditions
How Exactly Does a Tramp Oil Skimmer Work? | Abanaki
How Exactly Does a Tramp Oil Skimmer Work?
Typical Applications for Industrial Oil Skimmers | Abanaki
Typical Applications for Industrial Oil Skimmers