Tube Mill: Return to Case History Listings Page Reprinted from Fluid & Lubricant Ideas Turning Coolant Contanmination Into A Profitable Oil-Reclamation Program
	Leading Tube Mill used a Model 6V oil skimmer to eliminate a difficult contamination problem. In addition, the unit was also used to collect reclaim oil, resulting in a pay-back in less than nine months.

What started out as an expensive problem of metalworking coolant contamination has been turned into a profitable oil-reclamation program. Van Huffel Tube of Warren, Ohio... a manufacturer of welded tube... was spending about $3000 per year in recharging a soluble-oil coolant tank that would become contaminated with tramp lubricating oil. The 1000-gallon tank had to be recharged about once a month with 100 gallons of soluble oil and 900 gallons of water.

The installation of a Model 6V Oil Skimmer not only eliminated the contamination problem... the soluble oil coolant tank has not been recharged in a year... but the reclaimed oil is sold for an annual profit of $5500.

The skimmer, manufactured by Oil Skimmers, Inc., of Cleveland, OH, operates 24-hours per day, five days per week, fifty weeks per year. Payback of the installation cost was less than nine months as a result of the soluble oil saved and tramp oil reclaimed.

"We have operated the oil skimmer unit for over a year without one minute of downtime for maintenance... we are very happy with its performance and dependability," says Ted November, plant engineer. "In addition, the skimmer is so efficient... the collected oil contains only about 5% water... that we get top dollar for the reclaimed oil."

Oil Laden Coolant Cleaned

Van Huffel forms flat sheet stock into welded tube in the Warren plant. Soluble oil is used as a coolant in the forming operation where it picks up tramp oil from the sheet stock or from the forming equipment. The oil-laden coolant then goes to the 1000-gallon collection tank where the tramp oil rises to the surface. If not quickly removed, the surface oil can coagulate and create a removal problem.

"We remove about 55 gallons of oil per week from the soluble oil," comments November. "We collect it in two tanks which feed a holding tank, and then sell it to a reclaimer."

The free-floating, closed-loop collector tube used in the system is made of durable polyurethane which attract oil, not water. The tube adjusts to the coolant level and slowly moves over the surface, keeping the surface oil broken up. The collector tube is then drawn up through the scrapers which remove the tramp oil, and is then returned to the tank surface.

The system does not suffer from the clogging and parts maintenance problems often encountered with other types of skimming systems because the collector tube works around any debris that may be floating on the coolant surface. External parts which do come in contact with the grit-laden oil are made of high-abrasion-resistant ceramic that also resists corrosion. The collection tube is not only durable but also capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 200F.

The Model 6V skimmer has no tail pulleys or idler wheels to be hooked up below the surface of the coolant, thus installation is simplified and inconvenient underwater maintenance is eliminated. Also, the skimming unit gear system has been designed to eliminate unnecessary strain when in use, creating only minimal power requirements.

For more information about the Model 6V oil skimmer, or other oil skimming systems, you should write to Oil Skimmers, Inc. P.O. Box 33092, Cleveland, Ohio 44133 or call them at
1-800-200-4603

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