Oil Removal Solutions Blog

Inadequate oil removal equipment could be costing your manufacturing company money.

In this post, we discuss how tube type oil skimmers—those that use a closed-loop tube on the water’s surface to attract floating oil or grease—can save you money compared to alternatives.

1. Efficiently Removes Oil

Because they can’t get clogged with floating debris (leaves, sticks, etc.), tube skimmers consistently outperform fixed oil skimmers (belt, drum and disc) at efficiently and reliably removing petroleum-based oil, fats, greases, and oily wastes on the water’s surface. The tube simply snakes around the water, moving the debris aside, as it removes the oil.

2. Lowers Filtration, Water Treatment and Disposal Costs

Effective oil removal translates into less costs related to filtration, chemicals and other forms of secondary water treatment.

And it doesn’t stop there. Since tube skimmers capture and concentrate waste oil with little-to-no free water, disposal costs are also less. Higher waste oil concentrations lessens the volume and cost of vacuum collection, and off-site recycling or disposal.

3. Removes Unnecessary Maintenance Costs

Waterborne oil in your manufacturing process can cause operational problems and unnecessary maintenance costs. A few examples: 

• Residual oil in coolant and wastewater results in treatment fees, downtime, and frequent replacement of coolant and water.
• If not removed continuously, tramp oil can effect performance of production equipment and filtration systems, leading to repairs, production delays and rework.
• Tramp oil inside your cooling towers raises plant maintenance costs.
• Water that is contaminated with oil in pressurization test pits can damage delicate sensors and cause flawed test results.

Tube skimmers are highly efficient at removing oil from water with far less maintenance required than other methods. A tube-type oil skimmer not only removes the oil from the equation, it does so without adding extra maintenance work. Tube skimmers can work with little-to-no supervision, indoors or out, unlike others: 

• Belt skimmers: Oil and debris commonly misalign the drive mechanism and cause wear on wipers, and submerged pulleys need to be removed for maintenance and repair.
• Disc and drum skimmers: Water levels must be monitored closely, and submerged parts commonly need upkeep and repair.
• Rope skimmers: Rope fibers can deteriorate, knot or oversaturate.

Tube skimmers are also made with high-abrasion-resistant ceramics and high-strength steel and bronze, and contain no submerged parts. High quality parts translates into extremely rugged, versatile machines that can perform even in the harshest environments with little downtown or maintenance required.

4. Saves Money on Equipment Installation

Fixed skimmers are expensive to install, as some require support or bridging to mount. In some instances, this “can exceed the cost of the unit itself.”

Inflexible mounting designs can also limit placement and access. Tube skimmers, on the other hand, can be installed economically using pre-fabricated mounting systems.

5. Conserves Water

The right oil removal method can result in significant savings related to water consumption. As one example, the use of tube skimmers at mini steel mill NLMK Indiana cut water consumption significantly compared to its old method of using a vacuum truck service to remove oil from basins and a scale pit.Even the best vacuum service providers pick up a good amount of water with the oil—meaning you’re paying for water removal in addition to oil. Any amount of water taken by the vacuum truck needed to be added back into their system, adding to cost and consumption.

After installing a tube type oil skimmer, only the oil was recovered, leaving the water behind.The plant was able to reuse more water, as less water was collected with the oil, resulting in significant cost savings and reduced water consumption.

6. Protects Against Non-Compliance Penalties

Without the proper equipment and processes in place, meeting wastewater and water quality standards can be a costly endeavor for manufacturing plants. The investment in tube skimmers is low compared to stiff penalties your manufacturing plant could accrue from non-compliance with the Clean Water Act (CWA): 

• Companies that fail to meet environmental compliance could face legal action or crippling fees from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
• Failure to meet environmental regulations can result in negative publicity.

As demonstrated above, non-compliance hurts more than the environment, it hurts your company’s bottom line.

Save Money with Tube Skimmers

Effectively removing oil from water makes economic sense for your manufacturing plant.

Contact us today to discuss opportunities to save with a tube-type skimmer!