ESK High Efficiency Oil Water Separator

Why is the ESK Needed?

®  As EPA Oil Discharge Regulations  become more visible and enforcement of these regulations becomes more of a focus the need for quality products to help meet these regulations increases.  Some regulations are already in place and are already being enforced. One of the key regulations is the Clean Waters Act of 1977 and the Water Quality Act of 1987 which states an illicit discharge of oil into our natural waterways is finable up to $37,000 per day and possibly time in jail.

What is an illicit discharge? According to the Environmental Protection Agency a harmful quantity is an oil discharge that may cause a sheen or file upon, or discoloration of the surface of water. This is equal to 15 PPM (Parts Per Million) or 15mg/l.

What is the ESK Coalescing Oil/Water Separator?

The ESK Coalescing Separator is housed in a single structure, either a manhole or vault that is typically pretreated by minimally a standard grit chamber. The ESK has standard model sizes capable of handling flows from 15 GPM(Gallons Per Minute) to 4700 GPM.  A unique feature of the ESK is its integrated Spill Protection automatic shut off valve, designed so that once the unit reaches maximum storage capacity either through normal collection or during a catastrophic spill the valve completely shuts down the outflow. The ESK also offers additional features that can provide effluent limits as lowas 0.5 PPM ( 0.5 MG/L).

Product Operation Video:

ESK Documents For Download:

CST ESK Brochure                   CST-ESK Operation and Maintenance Manual             ESK Details Model

CST-ESK Specification           EPA Oil Discharge Regulations                                           ESK Presentation

How  does a Coalescing Separator Work?

The ESK utilizes the difference in the specific gravity between oil and water. Using Stoke’s Law you can predict how fast an oil droplet will rise or settle through water based on the density and size of the droplet, and the distance it must travel. The ESK is designed to exploit or manage these variables to enhance the  separation process.

As oil and water enter the housing unit of the ESK from the grit and debris separation chamber, the oil only has to travel a short distance before it encounters the media utilized in the ESK. The media directs smaller droplets together allowing them to join into bigger droplets thereby increasing the speed at which the droplet will rise to the surface.

The ESK also utilizes a bottom outlet for drawing the clean water out of the system. This is critical in that in order for the oil droplets to exit the system they would have to work against gravity and the separation process previously described.

ESK MODEL TABLE