Q. What is the working principle of oil separators?

Answer

Simply stated an oil water separator isolates oil and dissolved particles from water so that they can be skimmed off as implied by the name. However isn’t it true that oil and water do not naturally mix?? So why the need to separate them. Oil naturally separates from water right? It is true that the gravitational pull of water and oil is different. Oil prefers to rise to the top because it is less dense than water. However some oil particulates particularly microscopic droplets can get hooked up because of the composition of sewage which is permeated with all different types of pollutants. Oil and water have different densities; thus oil water separators are specifically made to target oil allowing denser particles (sludge) to settle to the bottom as oil accumulates at the top leaving additional effluent in the middle layer. Depending on the type of water being treated sludge can then be removed oil can be skimmed off the top and wastewater can proceed on for more cleaning aeration water handling and chemical processing.