ecoSep Working Principle
Purification Step 1: Grit Chamber
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Purification Step 2: Gravity Separation |
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The water is then admitted to the gravity separator via a float-actuated shut-off valve in the inlet. Being lighter than water, the oil floats on the surface. ecoSep can separate light liquids that have a specific gravity below 0.95. |
Oil Spill Control: |
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The automatic shut-off valve stops the flow from the grit chamber either when the maximum oil storage capacity is reached or when a certain liquid level in the separation chamber is exceeded. In its closed position, the valve is tight up to 0,5 bar (5m-water column) or 16 feet of total dynamic head pressure. This makes the ecoSep the only separation system to provide maximum security for the facility owner against unexpected, unpredictable and catastrophic petroleum spills. |
Purification Step 3: Coalescing Media |
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n the residual oil media, fine droplets that are too small to be separated by gravity alone are accumulated into bigger drops that rise to the surface. This coalescing media is made of reticular (i.e. "net-like") soft polyurethane foam. The media-cartridge is very easy to lift out and reinstall once it is cleaned/rinsed with a garden hose. The outlet structure features a venting pipe that provides an effluent sampling port. The separated water that leaves the ecoSep has a residual contamination of free petroleum content of less than 5 mg/liter. |
Manual or Automatic Oil Draw-off Device: |
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Separators without an oil
draw-off accumulate light fluids in direct contact to the water
surface. Increasing emulsification at the oil/water interface is the
result. Those stable emulsions which can no longer be separated by a
physical method would leave the separator. ecoSep solves that problem.
A standard version of ecoSep is equipped with a manual oil draw off, a
valve that can be opened and closed from grade to collect oil in the
independent oil-recipient. As an option, the patented automatic oil draw-off device (ADD) can be installed (US-PATENT No.: 5,622,619). This ADD constantly removes accumulated light fluids from the water surface and stores them in the oil recipient. The collected oil, which is free of any water, can be pumped through a standpipe and disposed of. The costly disposal of large quantities of oil and water mixtures is then eliminated. Facilities that have the ADD actually are paid by waste oil companies that service their ecoSep systems. |
The upstream grit chamber removes solids from the influent, thus
ensuring unimpeded functioning of the oil separator itself. The grit
trap is the first concrete tank of a standard two-tank design. The
inlet apron guarantees an optimum usage of the retention time in the
system. It works against the formation of so called
"Eddy-currents" and thus enables maximum solids separation.
The grit chamber also compensates for influent temperature
fluctuations, influent oil concentration influxes and initializes the
separation of light fluids. A perforated 90-degree outlet tube retains
floating solids from entering the separation chamber.
