Oil separation in the heavy chemical industry

In the heavy chemical industry, the separation of oil and water is very important to maintain process integrity and prevent waste. A common problem for our client was excessive water consumption due to their existing belt skimmer, which led to inefficiencies and higher disposal costs.

Challenge

The main issue was that the belt skimmer was taking up too much water along with the oil, reducing the effectiveness of the separation process. This not only resulted in higher operational costs but also caused environmental problems due to the larger volumes of oil-water mixtures that needed to be disposed of.

Testing phase

To address this, a test was conducted using an oil skimmer tube to evaluate its performance in exclusively bonding with oil. The goal was to determine whether the material properties of the tube could selectively attract oil while minimizing water uptake.

Results The oil skimmer tube proved to be the ideal solution. It demonstrated excellent adhesion to oil while extracting virtually no water. This selective separation resulted in purer oil recovery and reduced the amount of wastewater that required treatment or disposal.

Implementation Based on the successful test, the oil skimmer tube was integrated into the client's filtration system. The implementation went smoothly, and the system soon began delivering improved results.

Benefits

  • Reduced Water Contamination: The use of the oil skimmer tube significantly decreased water contamination in the recovered oil.
  • Cost Efficiency: Lower water volumes meant reduced treatment and disposal costs, leading to substantial savings.
  • Environmental Impact: Improved oil-water separation contributed to better compliance with environmental standards and reduced the ecological footprint.

This case illustrates how innovative solutions like the oil skimmer tube can effectively address specific industrial challenges. Van Borselen's self-cleaning filters and precise filtration technology ensure enhanced efficiency and environmental friendliness for clients in the heavy industry.


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