SKF launches new marine oil-water separation equipment

SKF has introduced a new high-performance and fast-installation marine oil-water separation (purchasing supply) equipment that quickly and easily separates oil and water from marine and offshore oil tankers.

Sludge oil is a common term used to describe the main waste oil that is produced during the process of purifying fuel and lubricating oil (purchasing supplies). In this process, the separated water in the purification process is mixed with the waste oil in the sewage tank.

SKF Turbulo Sludge Buoy oil and water separation equipment eliminates the need for laborious and time-consuming manual sewer separation equipment, which can easily and effectively separate the oil and water in the slop tanks floating on the ship.

During operation, the oil in the slop tanker flows into the lower deck of the SKF Turbulo Sludge Buoy oil-water separation unit at a maximum speed of 6 cubic meters per hour. Then, under the action of gravity, either pump out or flow out, depending on whether the drainage is below or above the water surface. This separation at the source will enhance environmental performance and meet ISO 14001 environmental management standards.

SKF points out that the separated water left in the bottom tank will be cleaner and easier to handle in the bilge water separator, increasing its efficiency and reducing costs. At the same time, the free water content of the separated oil is rather low, typically less than 5%. Therefore, no further processing is required and it can be disposed of in a shipboard incinerator or onshore.

According to SKF, the oil-water separation equipment is not only reliable, but also can be quickly and conveniently installed on the ship when the ship's existing slop tanks are opened for routine inspection or cleaning (purchasing supply). In addition, the Turbulo Sludge Buoy oil-water separation unit is basically a “fit-and-forget” device that requires little maintenance and because it is completely mechanical, it does not require electricity to operate.

SKF pointed out that the oil-water separation equipment is a one-time investment, because the oil-water separation equipment does not require consumables and spare parts for a lifetime and the payback period is extremely short, usually less than one year.

The oil water separation unit can be operated at temperatures up to 90 °C. The equipment is available in two sizes – Turbulo Sludge Buoy and Turbulo Sludge Buoy Mini – which can be used to determine which size of water separation unit to use depending on the available space in the tank.