Effectively remove floating oil and grease from metalworking fluids, cooling water and process fluids
FRIESS oil skimmers continuously remove floating tramp oil and grease from tanks and basins. From small metalworking fluid tanks on CNC machines to large industrial basins, we offer the right solution for your application.
Tramp oil can impair the quality of metalworking fluids, washing fluids and process fluids, resulting in shorter service life, increased maintenance requirements and less efficient production processes. FRIESS oil skimmers continuously remove floating tramp oil from the process, helping you use your fluids economically for longer.
Benefits at a glance:
For small metalworking fluid tanks and low volumes of tramp oil, a compact belt skimmer is often sufficient. For larger basins, higher oil volumes or applications where oil needs to be removed across a large surface area, a tube skimmer offers significant advantages.
Uncertain what is right for you? Describe your application and let us recommend the right oil skimmer →
Contents:
Where standard solutions reach their limits, one of FRIESS’ particular strengths shows. For decades, FRIESS oil skimmers have proven themselves in industrial applications worldwide even under challenging operating conditions.
Our oil skimmers are designed for continuous operation in industrial environments. High-quality, carefully selected materials ensure excellent resistance, even when used with aggressive media and under demanding process conditions.
Depending on the application, ATEX-certified versions for potentially explosive atmospheres are also available. And if an off-the-shelf oil skimmer is not the ideal fit for your application, we develop and manufacture customized solutions ensuring you always get exactly the right solution for your specific requirements.
Upon request, our experienced FRIESS specialists can also handle installation and commissioning directly at your site. This means you get more than just an oil skimmer: you get a solution tailored to your application, from consultation and engineering through to smooth and reliable operation within your system.
Tube skimmers are particularly suitable for the continuous removal of floating oil and grease across large surface areas. The oil collector tube floats freely on the surface of the liquid, allowing tramp oil to be effectively removed from both small tanks and large basins.
At the heart of the tube skimmer is a special oleophilic tube designed to attract and retain oil on its surface. The hollow oil collector tube floats directly on the liquid surface, positioning it precisely between the medium to be cleaned and the floating oil.
The tube, which is welded into an endless loop, continuously passes through the oil skimmer. Oil adhering to the tube is scraped off inside the unit and then discharged separately. The cleaned tube then returns to the liquid surface, and the process begins again.
A particular advantage of this principle is the flexible length of the oil collector tube. This allows the tube skimmer to be adapted to different tank sizes and applications – from small tanks on machine tools to large cooling and process basins or ponds. In this way, floating tramp oil can be removed continuously across large surface areas.
Tube skimmers are used wherever floating oil or grease need to be removed from large liquid surfaces. The robust operating principle is also suitable for contaminated industrial environments and highly viscous oils.
Typical applications include:
Thanks to their simple and robust operating principle, tube skimmers offer significant advantages, particularly in continuous industrial operation:
Belt skimmers are a compact and economical solution for continuously removing smaller quantities of floating tramp oil from liquid surfaces. They are particularly common on machine tools and small metalworking fluid tanks where installation space is limited and fairly small amounts of oil accumulate.
The central element of a belt skimmer is an endless skimmer belt driven by a motorized drive roller. A guide roller directs the belt down into the tank so that part of the belt is immersed in the floating oil layer.
The tramp oil adheres to the surface of the skimmer belt and is carried upward out of the tank by the continuous movement of the belt. At the top of the belt skimmer, scrapers remove the adhering oil from the belt. The separated oil is then discharged separately, while the cleaned belt is returned to the tank.
Thanks to this simple design, belt skimmers operate continuously and require very little space. Depending on the design, they can also accommodate fluctuations in the liquid level.
Belt skimmers are particularly suitable for small tanks and applications involving manageable quantities of tramp oil. A typical application is metalworking, where tramp oils such as hydraulic or lubricating oils need to be removed from metalworking fluids.
Typical applications include:
Especially in small metalworking fluid tanks, the comparatively low removal capacity of a belt skimmer is often entirely sufficient. At the same time, its compact design and simple construction make it an economical solution for these applications.
For larger basins, higher volumes of tramp oil or oil contamination spread across a large surface area, a tube skimmer is often the better choice. While a belt skimmer primarily collects oil within its immediate operating area, a tube skimmer can cover a significantly larger area of the liquid surface.
For small tanks and low volumes of tramp oil, belt skimmers offer several key advantages:
More information about our belt skimmers can be found here!
The operating principle of a belt skimmer has certain limitations in larger or more demanding applications. The skimmer belt only covers a limited area of the liquid surface and does not generate any significant surface flow itself. As a result, floating oil located farther away may reach the skimmer only slowly or, in some cases, not at all.
For larger volumes of oil, heavily contaminated media or larger basins, a tube skimmer can also provide a more robust and higher-capacity solution. With belt skimmers, particles and sludge can also cause increased wear on the scrapers or – depending on the design – lead to deposits and blockages in the discharge system.
In short: For small tanks, low volumes of tramp oil and limited installation space, a belt skimmer is a compact and economical solution. However, when larger liquid surfaces or higher volumes of oil need to be handled, a tube skimmer often offers significant advantages.
Oil skimmers and oil separators have a similar objective: separating oil and grease from water or other liquids. Both methods make use of the difference in density between the liquids. However, they differ fundamentally in how they work: while an oil skimmer continuously removes oil floating on the surface, an oil separator allows suspended oil to rise to the surface before removing it.
An oil separator essentially consists of a tank through which the liquid to be treated flows. Inside the separator, the flow is slowed down, giving oil and grease sufficient time to rise to the surface. Special internal components can further support this separation process and improve separation efficiency.
The oil that has risen to the surface collects there. A baffle or submerged outlet pipe prevents this oil layer from being discharged from the separator together with the liquid below. The oil is then removed from the surface of the separator, often via an overflow weir.
An oil separator is therefore particularly suitable for applications where the liquid first needs to be calmed so that a sufficiently distinct oil layer can form on the surface. This is often the case in highly turbulent systems or systems with very powerful pumps.
An oil skimmer operates where the oil has already accumulated on the liquid surface. It continuously collects the floating tramp oil, removes it from the process and transfers it to a separate collection tank.
Unlike an oil separator, an oil skimmer therefore requires the oil to have sufficient time to rise to the surface within the existing system. With highly turbulent liquids, the flow may therefore need to be calmed beforehand.
Which method is more suitable depends primarily on the conditions of the specific application. If the liquid is sufficiently calm and the tramp oil is already floating on the surface, an oil skimmer can remove the oil directly and continuously.
In systems with strong currents or turbulent media, however, the oil may not have sufficient opportunity to rise to the surface. In such cases, an oil separator provides the necessary settling zone, creating the conditions required for reliable oil-water separation.
In many industrial applications, there is no need to choose between the two methods. Oil separators and oil skimmers can be effectively combined, complementing each other perfectly.
The oil separator first calms the liquid, allowing the oil it contains to rise to the surface, where it is retained. An integrated oil skimmer then continuously removes the accumulated oil from the separator. This is often the most reliable way of removing oil from the separator.
This is precisely the principle used in FRIESS Skimmtelligent oil separators. They are particularly suitable for applications where the liquid is too turbulent for the direct use of an oil skimmer. By combining flow calming, separation and continuous oil removal, the advantages of both methods are brought together in a single system.
Existing oil separators can also be retrofitted with an oil skimmer. This allows floating oil to be continuously and reliably removed from the separator. Many oil separators retain oil effectively, but removing it via an overflow weir can often be unreliable or extremely maintenance-intensive.
Adding an oil skimmer can significantly increase the effectiveness of the oil separator and reduce the required maintenance intervals.
In short: The oil separator creates the conditions required for reliable separation and retains the floating oil. The oil skimmer then continuously removes it. Depending on the application, the two systems can be used individually or combined to create a particularly effective solution.
Learn more about FRIESS “Skimmtelligent” oil separators here!
Since 1972, FRIESS has been developing and manufacturing “Made in Germany” oil skimmers for a wide range of industrial applications and industries. More than 50 years of experience in oil-water separation continuously contribute to the development and manufacturing of our products.
In addition to oil skimmers, FRIESS offers further solutions for oil-water separation, metalworking fluid maintenance, as well as oil cleaning and treatment. Our goal is to make processes more economical and sustainable: extending fluid service life, conserving resources, reducing disposal volumes and thereby lowering operating costs. At FRIESS, cost-effectiveness and environmental protection go hand in hand.
Which oil skimmer is best suited to your application depends on a few basic factors. To help us quickly recommend the right model for your requirements, we only need some information about your application. Upon request, we will be happy to provide you with our oil skimmer questionnaire as a PDF.
The following information is particularly helpful when selecting the right oil skimmer:
Based on this information, our specialists can assess your requirements and recommend a suitable oil skimmer for your application. For special installation conditions or requirements, customized adaptations and special designs are also available.
Our standard oil skimmers can generally be delivered within one week. The units are designed for straightforward installation and commissioning. If your application requires a special installation, our FRIESS installation service is also available on site upon request.
Not sure which oil skimmer is right for you? Contact us – we will support you from selecting the right unit through to successful commissioning.
We would be happy to tell you what they are!
