The ability to remove oil and other similar types of contaminants from wastewater and wastewater in a wide range of industries and processes is increasingly important for companies. This is not only because of the regulations for disposal of water, but it is also cost-saving if oil and other chemicals can be captured, recycled and reused.
The Solution to the Problem
To provide the solution to this problem, companies invest in an oil and water separator. These systems will be designed to separate out specific sized oil droplets, typically in the micron size range, with just one pass of the contaminated water through the system.
In any type of industrial application, machine shop, parts washer systems or washdown area for equipment, these systems are cost effective to install. They are low maintenance devices that are designed to handle specific flow rates in gallons per minute to process the water.
The Operation
Each model and type of oil and water separator will operate differently, which is an important factor to consider when making a choice. A very effective method of operation is to use both a skimmer and a filter to remove the beaten in or dispersed oil through the water coming into the separator.
Water enters a reservoir in the oil and water separator. A skimmer floats on the surface to capture anything on the surface of the water. In addition, a pump is used to pull the washwater through the skimmer which then discharges into a filter bag
This allows the filtration of the solids that may be suspended in the liquid. The liquid then flows into another tank that is full of a specific type of material known as a coalescing media. The media attracts the micron sized droplets of oil and specific contaminants, allowing clear water to be discharged. The micron-sized droplets of oil eventually rise to the top of the tank where is naturally discharges into another holding container for recycling or disposal.
