Api Oil Water Separator Sizing

Api tanks were originally designed by the american petroleum institute api for use in refinery applications but modifications of the design can be used for stormwater treatment.
Api oil water separator sizing. The name is derived from the fact that such separators are designed according to standards published by the american petroleum. Oil water separator oil droplet sizes definitions and meanings. This guide is intended to assist knowledgeable personnel with sizing a highland tank oil water separator. This calculation is based on the methods proposed.
This correlates to a tank size that can be 5 times the size of an equally sized coalescing separator. This correlates to a tank size that can be 5 times the size of an equally sized coalescing separator. See figure 5 33 and figure 5 34. Below is a link to an api oil water separator sizing spreadsheet developed by hydro flo technologies.
Oil water separators typically consist of three bays. An api oil water separator is a device designed to separate gross amounts of oil and suspended solids from the wastewater effluents of oil refineries petrochemical plants chemical plants natural gas processing plants and other industrial oily water sources. This design also known as an api separator generally provides a discharge oil concentration of 100 ppm based on a 150 micron droplet size. When sizing an ows there are three primary factors to consider.
This design also known as an api separator generally provides a discharge oil concentration of 100 ppm based on a 150 micron droplet size. Oil droplets from 20 to 150 microns in diameter. Sizing ows calculation per api 421 xls author. 0 9860 density of the water s g g cm3 0 0052 viscosity in poise 1 2568 rise rate of oil droplet gpm ft2 calculated 159 13 horizontal surface area area ft2 of the separator needed to achieve desired oil removal performance 0 89 cross sectional velocity ft min.
The information contained herein is the opinion of highland tank. Oil droplets 150 microns in diameter and larger. Forebay separator section and the. 8 16 2016 5 28 46 pm.
By inputting the major design criteria you can solve for the separation chambers width to length to depth ratios. Below is a sample shot of the spreadsheet. 33 1 2 types of separator api tanks see figure 33 1 and plate separators are the more efficient oil separators. Following are the definitions and categories of different oil droplet sizes as defined by the american petroleum institute in the mid 1970 s.
Individual projects must be evaluated to determine the appropriate size and configuration for that site. The spreadsheet operates on microsoft excel 2003 or later. The api type design relies on a large water volume. The api type design relies on a large water volume.