Ecotechnic Separation Technology
Oil/Water Separators
The goal is protectingour clean water supply! With our oil water separators, get high efficiency water separation that is cost effective.
In ancient times, turning water into wine was the miracle. Present day, however, mandates the miracle of turning polluted water into clean water again. Water needs to be separated from light fluids with a high degree of separation, ecoTECHNIC oil water separators accomplish this miracle at an unbeatable low cost.
It's not just the long maintenance intervals and low waste-disposal costs that make it such a good investment, but also the fact that it is designed with future standards in mind. All our oil water separators far exceeds the strict European standards (DIN 1999 and EN 858) for performance. Uutstanding independent testing certificates (available upon request) demonstrate that our separators will provide clean water that exceeds today's environmental standards and will allows for tighter, future environmental discharge compliance guidelines to be met with little or no modifications to the system.
Working Principle
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Purification Step 1: Grit Chamber
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.
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Purification Step 2: Gravity Separation
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. Mechanical oil water separators can separate light liquids that have a specific gravity below 0.95.
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Purification Step 3: Coalescing Media
In 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 oil water separator has a residual contamination of free petroleum content of less than 5 mg/liter.
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Oil Spill Control
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.
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Manual or Automatic Oil Draw-off Device
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 drawoff, 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.
Grease Interceptors
The ecoGrease system, designed according to the newly adopted European Standard pr-EN1825, separates liquid, coagulating animal and vegetable oil and grease from water prior to discharge in septic or municipally owned sewer application. For the first time a grease separation technology will allow the consultant, plumber or end user to not only size the system strictly by flow-rate, but also achieve specific effluent removal efficiencies for these pollutants (less than 25 ppm mandatory according to pr-EN1825). Its structural configuration allows pollutant loads to be accurately monitored and then cleanly and easily remediated.
Working Principle
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Purification Step 1: Grit Chamber
The lower grit chamber serves to retain precipitable contaminants, thereby ensuring that the subsequent stages in the purification process can function correctly. The inlet apron ensures that optimum use is made of the retention time in the grease trap (by preventing "short-circuiting" fluid motions) in order to achieve the most effective possible separation of solids. This process initiates the separation of grease and fat, as well as reducing temperature and concentration surges.
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Purification Step 2: Gravity Separation
The separation process is based entirely on the fact that the organic fat and grease to be separated has a lower specific gravity than water and thus floats to the surface of the separator. After solids are removed in lower compartement, the influent is transfered to the upper compartement in a smooth way as not to stir up any grease that has already been separated and is floating on the surface. Due to the cooling of the waste-water, fat and grease are accumulated on the surface of the water and build up a solid layer. The purified water is leaving the separator through the runoff-chamber.
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Optional Equipment: Sight Glass
An integrated sight glass enables the owner to accurately monitor the thickness of accumulated grease and to determine the appropriate time for maintenance. The sight glass is equipped with a wiper to clean the window.
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Optional Equipment: Suction Pipe
To cleanly and easily collected pollutants, the ecoGrease system can be equipped with a flanged suction pipe. This stainless steel pipe is then connected to a suction line that extends to grade. Vacuum trucks then simply attach and pump at grade.
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Grease Interceptors
Fields of application:
- Food companies (kitchens, restaurants, hotels,…)
- Butchers shops
- Sausage and meat factories
- Animal utilization, ….
Oil Spill Control
ecoStop® is a Petroleum Spill Control System for any facility or site, where the potential for a petroleum spill exists (gasoline stations and other fueling facilities, electrical transformers, generators, oil storage areas, transportation fueling systems).
The system is installed in-line and downstream from any segregated petroleum containment drainage area. ecoStop® is available pre-installed in a standard precast concrete manhole or in an ecoSep oil water separator. It can also be retrofitted to an existing drainage system.
The ecoStop® Spill Control System is designed to control spills at petroleum storage or fueling facilities. A spill situation shuts down Ecostop’s closure valve, preventing the discharge of free oil to municipal sewers or direct discharge outfalls.
ecoStop® maintains the spill on site where it can be contained either below grade (i.e. an underground storage tank or a large diameter pipe) or in an above grade, diked area. The capacities of this upstream storage reservoir should be large enough to accommodate typical amounts of a tank truck oil-spill (with an additional capacity, safety factor).
The downstream ecoStop® tank is equipped with ecoStop’s automatic shut-off valve (patent pending). This float actuated closure device stops the flow through the system when the maximum oil storage capacity or a certain liquid level in the ecoStop® chamber is reached. In its closed position, the valve is watertight up to 0.5 bar (5m water column). The ecoStop® detects spills automatically and therefore eliminates the most common failures in traditional spill control systems, human error.
In the event of a minor petroleum build-up or a catastrophic type spill, changes in the liquid levels can be monitored by accurate and reliable liquid level sensor alarms.
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Installation
The system is installed in-line and downstream from any segregated petroleum containment drainage area treating runoff. ecoStop® comes pre-installed in a standard precast concrete manhole or in an Ecosep Oil/Water Separator. ecoStop® can be retrofitted to an existing drainage system.
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Ecostop
Application examples:
- Gasoline stations and other fueling facilities
- Electrical transformers
- Oil storage areas
- Transportation fueling systems
Oil Level Control | Level Sensor
ecoWarn is a combined control device for oil water separators to monitor the level of separated oil as well as to signalize a high level in the separation chamber.
The device can be adapted for various different supply voltages. The measuring circle is Ex-proof (tested according to the European Standard EN 50020).
ecoWarn is optimally designed for the use in our oil water separators.
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Ecowarn
