Perth Petroleum Services Oil & Chemical Spill Equipment

Belt skimmers for hard to access spills

When it comes to repairing anything, different tools can achieve a result but the right tool makes it much easier. This also applies within the world of oil and fuel skimmers - there are different skimmers for different spill scenarios.

As an emergency response skimmer, the belt format is very adaptable. A spill of light oil found its way into a creek that entered the Swan River. We hung the belt skimmer from a footbridge and reclaimed the oil as booms directed and compressed the spill for an easier recovery.

Similarly we have used belt skimmers in sumps and pits in permanent situations. In an outdoor sump where oil from a processing plant drained, we set up a belt skimmer on a timer so that it reclaimed the oil from the previous days.

On Christmas Island a few years ago however, a spill found its way into the stormwater system. Due to the narrowness of the entry pits, inserting a weir or traditional belt skimmer was impossible. Enter the Global belt skimmer - an ideal and effective way to remove oil from drains.

Figure 1	Figure2

Traditional belt skimmers feature a belt which runs between two pulleys (Figure 1). The bottom pulley is required to provide tension on the belt in order for it to rotate. Stainless steel belts are also subject to stress cracking at the join, which limits the operational life to no more than a few years.

An Australian-made belt skimmer (Figure 2) with a free-hanging polypropylene belt has solved these problems. This skimmer's free-hanging belt requires no bottom tension pulley.

• The free-hanging polypropylene belt provides a longer life than a stainless steel belt.
• Polypropylene belts are much wider than stainless steel belts.
• Diesel pick up is approximately 50L/hr and oil pick-up approximately 120L/hr.
• The belt can fit into openings not possible with conventional belt skimmers.
• The new belt skimmer is easily hung above a sump, tank or pond.
• The belt is unaffected by extreme temperatures and conditions.

If you would like to see this Global belt skimmer in action, we have a working version in our showroom. Call us for additional information or a quote on 08 9258 5877.