FRIESS industrial oil skimmers continuously remove floating oil, tramp oil and grease from coolants, cooling water, degreasing fluids, washing liquids and industrial wastewater. They are suitable for machine-tool tanks, washing tanks, settling basins and many other industrial tanks and pits.
German website: www.friess-online.de
The video shows a FRIESS tube skimmer operating in an industrial tank. Its freely floating oleophilic tube continuously attracts floating oil and grease and transports them to the unit for separation.
FRIESS oil skimmers continuously and reliably remove floating oil and grease. They can be used with cutting fluids, cooling water, degreasing fluids, washing liquids and industrial wastewater.
Operating Principle
The core component is a freely floating oleophilic collection tube. It circulates across the liquid surface, continuously attracts floating oil and grease and carries them into the unit. A scraper then removes the oil from the tube and directs it into a waste-oil container. This continuous process can clean a large surface area.
Main Advantages
Especially suitable for large basins, cooling-water tanks and industrial tanks with substantial liquid-level fluctuations.
Suitable for tanks of different sizes with widths of 800 mm or more.
Suitable for medium and large basins, including enclosed underground tanks with small access openings.
Especially suitable for small emulsion tanks and compact degreasing or washing systems.
Especially suitable for small emulsion tanks, cooling-water tanks and pump pits.
Suitable for narrow tanks approximately 500–1,000 mm wide.
Designed specifically to remove floating oil from small, narrow tanks.
An innovative belt skimmer designed for removing floating oil from small, narrow tanks.
The oleophilic collection tube attracts oil from the liquid surface. When the tube enters the unit, the adhered oil is removed by the scraper and discharged. Because the tube is hollow, it floats and continuously works at the interface between the process liquid and the floating oil.
The tube forms a closed loop and circulates continuously across the surface, collecting floating oil over a wide area. Its length can be configured for the tank dimensions, so it can serve small tanks, large cooling-water basins, industrial pits and even outdoor basins.
Oil skimmers can be used wherever unwanted oil or grease accumulates and floats at the surface. Tube skimmers remain effective even in dirty environments or with high-viscosity floating oils, giving them a very broad application range:
A belt oil skimmer consists of a motor, drive roller, support and continuous flat skimming belt. The drive roller circulates the belt while a guide roller keeps it immersed in the floating oil layer. Oil adheres to the belt, is carried upward and is finally removed and discharged by scraper blades.
Oil-water separators and oil skimmers both use the density difference between oil and water, but they serve different operating conditions. Oil skimmers remove oil that has already floated to the surface and are ideal for accessible tanks, pits and basins with a visible oil layer. Oil-water separators hold the contaminated liquid in a separation tank and use baffles or coalescing media, making them better suited to dispersed oil, fine droplets and more thoroughly mixed process liquids.
In simple terms: if the oil is already floating at the surface, choose an oil skimmer first. If droplets remain mixed into the liquid and do not rise naturally, an oil-water separator is generally more suitable.
In some applications the two technologies can be combined. The separator gives the oily liquid time to separate, while the skimmer continuously removes the oil collected at the surface. Skimmtelligent or SMT separators are preferred for fine droplets, turbulent liquids or unstable floating oil; skimmers are preferred where a clear surface oil layer forms.
An oil skimmer removes oil that has already risen to the liquid surface. Although oil skimmers and oil-water separators serve similar objectives, their appropriate operating conditions differ.
In some applications the two technologies can be combined. The separator gives the oily liquid time to separate, while the skimmer continuously removes the oil accumulated at the surface. Skimmtelligent or SMT separators are preferred for fine droplets, turbulent liquids or unstable floating oil; skimmers are preferred where a clear surface oil layer forms.
Since 1972, FRIESS has developed and manufactured oil skimmers in Germany for a wide range of industries and applications. We support customers from application analysis and selection through manufacturing, sales and, where required, on-site installation.
In addition to oil skimmers, FRIESS supplies oil-water separation, machine-tool coolant maintenance and industrial oil-cleaning solutions that help companies meet environmental objectives while reducing operating costs.
Before selecting an oil skimmer, we collect the key operating data using an application questionnaire, which can also be supplied as a PDF. The information includes:
Oil skimmers can normally be delivered within one week. Installation is straightforward and operation is simple; only a few special applications require on-site installation service.
The collection tube of a tube skimmer floats on the liquid and circulates continuously, attracting oil films and grease from across the surface. Its movement also creates surface flow that gradually draws remote floating oil toward the tube and reduces hard-to-reach dead zones.
The tube length can be configured to the tank dimensions and can span much of the tank length or width, making it suitable for large surfaces. A belt skimmer treats only the area near the belt and generally needs more time to achieve a similar result; it is often unsuitable for larger tanks.
Companies generating industrial wastewater must implement appropriate safety measures and establish collection, treatment or reuse systems in accordance with local requirements. Contaminants vary by industry. For oil and grease floating on water, FRIESS supplies German-made oil skimmers and oil-water separators that reliably remove surface oil, reduce the downstream treatment load and lower chemical demand.
Discharge limits are generally defined by the local authority or wastewater utility and may vary by location. Whatever standard applies, removing floating oil in advance helps stabilize compliance at a lower treatment load.
Oil skimmers can extend the service life of process fluids. Continuous removal of tramp oil helps cutting fluids and washing water remain within their required operating parameters for longer, reducing replacement frequency and extending bath life.
Fewer fluid changes reduce raw-material consumption and waste-fluid disposal. More complete use of each fluid charge improves resource efficiency and reduces the quantity of chemicals and oils purchased and discarded.
FRIESS oil skimmers are robust and require little maintenance, reducing labour input and life-cycle maintenance costs.
Continuous tramp-oil removal improves process-fluid cleanliness, stabilizes production and reduces quality problems and scrap caused by contamination.
Keeping process fluids in good condition extends service life and reduces fresh-fluid purchasing and waste disposal, lowering total operating costs across purchasing, maintenance, downtime and disposal.
Waste oil and grease collected by the skimmer are normally handled by an authorized recycling or disposal company. If the water content is low and the recovered material has sufficient value, the recycler may pay for it.
Heavily contaminated oil or grease usually incurs a disposal charge. Regeneration and reuse may be technically possible but should be evaluated against oil value, contamination level and treatment cost.
Standard FRIESS oil skimmers use high-quality materials such as stainless steel and ceramics, providing good corrosion and wear resistance in many industrial environments.
Highly corrosive media such as strong acids or alkalis may require alternative materials. FRIESS can supply higher-grade stainless steel (V4A, comparable to grade 316) or plastic construction to cover an almost complete pH range.
Beyond cost savings, FRIESS oil skimmers, electrostatic oil cleaners, magnetic filters, coolant purification systems, oil-water separators and vacuum oil purifiers offer many additional benefits.
We would be pleased to explain how they can benefit your application.
