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Oil Skimmers

Elastec manufactures some of the most efficient oil spill skimmer systems in the world. Our product line (drums, grooved discs, weir, belts and brushes) is designed for oil removal in inland, coastal and offshore recovery operations. Read our guide to different types of oil skimmers. Learn about ASTM Standards for oil skimmers. Simple to operate, reliable and efficient for a range of oil viscosities and environments, Elastec skimmers are manufactured in our ISO 9001 certified facilities in Carmi, Illinois. Read our Frequently Asked Questions. Fill out our questionnaire and tell us about your project.

“The quality and simplicity of the Elastec TDS136 skimmers that we purchased helped us achieve our new certifications. Because of this, we will purchase all of our future response equipment from your business.”

C. Teff

“We are impressed with the mechanical simplicity of the design, which makes the equipment more reliable than other brand of equipment. In particular, now we are using the “grooved” drums and we are very pleased with the enhanced performance.”

F. LaRotta

“We have great experiences with these in our systems. That’s the reason why we're installing them in our systems for oil skimming purposes.”

S. Paul

“The drum skimmer has been installed in our Equalization Tank for removal of slop oil. It has been able to remove heavy oil, as well as light oil and has been easy to operate and maintain.”

Numaligarh Refinery

“The disc skimmer manufactured by Elastec has a good performance and high effectiveness of 80%-90% at work, fulfilling expectations.”

T. Guerrero

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Selective and non-selective oil skimmers

Selective and Non-Selective Skimmers

Elastec drum and disc skimmers are made with an oleophilic (oil-attracting) material and are selective. This means oil adheres to the drum or disc and is separated from the water’s surface. Selective skimmers recover a higher concentration of oil and very little water. They are the most efficient floating oil skimmers to clean up a spill incident.

Non-selective skimmers do not discriminate between oil and water. Weirs (gravity oil skimmers) and suction skimmers collect oil, water and anything else on the surface.

Oil skimmers tested at Ohmsett

Tested at Ohmsett

Elastec skimmers are performance tested at Ohmsett, one of the largest oil spill testing facilities in the world. It is located at the Naval Weapons Station Earle Waterfront in the United States. Ohmsett follows the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard F-2709-08 Standard Test Method for Determining Nameplate Recovery Rate of Stationary Oil Skimmer Systems.

Elastec grooved drum skimmers were used in a test at Ohmsett to determine if skimming operations are possible for fresh and weathered Bakken oil.

Brush drum skimmer for oil spill response

Brush Drum Skimmer

Elastec offers an oleophilic brush oil skimmer. Brush oil skimmers can be ideal for use in heavy, viscous oils, or situations in which the oil has started to emulsify. The brush drum works by skimming the oil from the surface of the water where the brushes are then scraped off and oil is collected in a sump where it can be pumped into a storage unit.

Oil Skimmer Frequently Asked Questions

What are oil skimmers?
Oil skimmers are devices that pickup oil floating on the surface of water

Whats different types of oil skimmers are there?
There are many different kinds of skimmers depending on the application, from simple weir / suction heads to large offshore units. They can be categorized into oleophilic (selective such as a drum skimmer) or weir.

How much oil can they pickup?
It depends greatly on the size and type of oil skimmer. Small industrical skimmers such as tubes or belts may only recover a few gallons per minute whereas large offshore skimmers such as the X150 can pickup thousands. Skimmer performance can be verified by ASTM standards (ASTM F2709). Learn about ASTM Standards for oil skimmers.

How efficient are they?
Selective (oleophlic) skimmers can pickup as little as 2 % water whereas a weir or suction skimmer may pickup 50%.

How do I know which skimmer is right for me?
Send us details of your application and we will help you choose. We typically need to know;

  • 1. Operating environment – industrial (separators, collection ponds), inland (rivers, streams), coastal or offshore.
  • 2. Oil type and amount that needs to be collected (continuous or instantaneous release)
  • 3. Power or compressed air available
  • 4. Resources available to deploy equipment – eg boats, crane or truck
  • 5. Corrosive or Hazardous environment
  • 6. Continuous duty or emergency response

Oil Skimmer Questionnaire

Thank you for considering the Elastec Oil Skimmers. Please complete a few simple questions that will help define your requirement .