Recovery of highly viscous oils
Many oil spills over recent years have highlighted the problems of recovering very viscous oils at sea. To respond to this challenge DESMI has developed a line of belt skimmers.
The BELT skimmer is a special attachment to the TERMINATOR skimmer that enables the recovery of highly viscous oils that do not flow well into a conventional weir. The BELT skimmer is able to operate in either direction (depending on the oil type) - to pull in and discharge the oil into the hopper, where the vertical screw pump is housed.
The powerful capabilities of the BELT skimmer and pump can be further enhanced with annular water injection - a system that greatly reduces the pressure loss in the discharge hose, enabling the pumping of very viscous oils. The water injection flange can be mounted on the inlet or outlet of the pump, with hot or cold water injection.
The BELT skimmer is available with many more ground-breaking options, such as remote control and thrusters for positioning the skimmer.
The well-proven pump does not emulsify oil and water when pumping. This means that water can be quickly and easily separated from the recovered oil before storage.
The BELT skimmer is fitted with teeth to help pull in the layers of heavy oil, while its sister - the ALLIGATOR - has stiff bristles attached to the belt, offering the ability to recover a wide range of oils.