At a rail yard, the need for a surface drainage oil skimmer arose because many tracks use hydraulic brakes to slow unmanned freight cars. These hydraulic systems operate under extreme weather conditions and high pressure, so hoses rupture regularly. Given the size of the site, leaks may go unnoticed for some time before the damaged hose is found and replaced.
Until repairs are completed, several litres of hydraulic oil can escape from a ruptured hose and seep into the ground. Oil contamination occurred repeatedly across the site, but no permanent solution had been found.
The leaked oil eventually reached the site’s wastewater. A persistent oil film formed in the drainage system’s oil separators. Under normal flow conditions, the separators retained the oil before the water was discharged into a nearby stream.
Conditions became critical in autumn and winter. Frequent rainfall washed more hydraulic oil from the ground while increasing the volume of water entering the drainage system. During heavy rain, the separators could no longer retain all the oil, allowing it to flow into the river with potentially severe consequences for the surrounding environment.
To address the problem, the railway operator turned to a respected hydraulic engineering company specializing in environmental protection. The engineers recognized the potential of an oil skimmer and contacted FRIESS.
During an on-site inspection, the team developed a solution: install a FRIESS oil skimmer on the oil separator so that separated hydraulic oil is removed continuously. This prevents excessive oil from accumulating in the separator and being carried away during heavy rainfall.
At the railway operator’s request, the standard control system was equipped with a GSM module because the oil skimmer was installed at a remote location. This allows the system to communicate with the responsible personnel without requiring an on-site visit.
To ensure safe winter operation and prevent freezing, all relevant system components were fitted with heating.
