Power Plants Use Oil Skimmers to Prevent Contamination from Spills

Problem:

Most hydroelectric plants designed in the 1960s were built with a station drainage sump that collects all drainage from the plant. As designed, their float switches activate sump pumps that discharge liquids directly into the tailrace. 

The system, however, cannot distinguish between types of liquids. That means, if there’s an oil leak, oil in the sump could be released into the tailrace. Modern environmental compliance specifications don’t allow this and require a retrofit solution.

Solution:

Power plant operators have taken the initiative to make several improvements that eliminate this potential problem, beginning with the installation of Model 6V Brill® Tube Oil Skimmers (also known as rope mop skimmers) for the sumps.

These oil skimmers feature a floating tube collection system, and can recover any oil that may have entered the sump through the plant’s drainage system. A polyurethane tube floating on the sump surface attracts oil to its exterior. 

Then, a motor driven pulley drags the tube past two scrapers that remove the collected oil, which drains into a storage barrel and is later placed into a waste oil sump for proper disposal. The clean tube is then returned to the sump. This oil removal system can collect up to 100 gallons per hour.

Plant operators have also plugged a number of floor drains, and installed speed bumps—similar to those used in parking lots to slow traffic—for spill containment. Additionally, many plants make cart-mounted oil skimmers available, to serve as mobile spill-control units. Plans call for oil detectors that will automatically turn off the sump’s pumps and turn on the skimmer.

In one example, the plant’s team decided to add plugs to most of the plant’s floor drains, to prevent hazardous substances such as oil, battery acid and cleaning solvents from reaching the drainage sump. The plugs are removable, so, if a spill involving water or another non-hazardous substance occurs, plant personnel can simply remove the plugs and allow the fluid to drain into the sump. With unplugged drains, however, any hazardous substances would freely mix with the sump liquid, and all of it would then be considered hazardous waste.

Containment of spills becomes especially important after floor drains are plugged, and in this case plant personnel addressed this by using rubber automotive speed bumps for spill containment. The speed bumps are placed in or in front of doorways, to keep liquids from spreading. The speed bumps—about four inches high—allow equipment to be moved about the plant and present a low-threat tripping hazard for plant personnel.

At this point, many plants are also employing SAS® System Oil Water Separators to remove oil from the sump liquid trapped by those plugged drains. This advanced system is a complete oil removal solution for industrial process water and wastewater applications that incorporates a Brill® tube oil skimmer.

As a result of all these modifications, the plant personnel are now better prepared to respond to oil spills than they were in the past. 

About Oil Skimmers, Inc.

Oil Skimmers, Inc. has been providing oil removal solutions to a variety of industries around the world since 1967. We continue to grow our capabilities through innovation, new product development, and engineering capabilities to serve the unique challenges that each oily water application presents. For more information about oil skimmers, fully-integrated oil removal systems, oil water separators, and custom-engineering capabilities, visit www.oilskim.com or call +1 (440) 237-4600 to speak to one of our applications specialists.