Oily water

Oily water results from sea and cooling water, fuel and lube oil leaks, drainages from settling and sludge tanks, effluents from various cleaning processes and soot and dirt particles. To treat oily water, GEA uses a system which has been successful in treating bilgewater on land or on board for many years. Under normal feed conditions, the residual oil content in the clean water drain is 10 to 12 ppm. Supplementary aggregates allow the oil content to be reduced to below 5 ppm. This creates effectively pure water which can be returned to the natural water circuit. No high-cost disposal is required.

A further economic benefit is in the recovery of valuable energy resources. The oil recycled from the separation process can be re-used as fuel oil, for example. Recovered lube oil can be used as a fuel to generate heat.

The system is also self-cleaning, so no additional staff is required. Alternative methods on the other hand, such as static separation by sedimentation tank or filtration for example, require either cost-intensive, periodic manual cleaning or replacement of filter elements. Chemicals are also frequently required as well – these are not only costly, but can also damage the environment.