Oil/water separator

Claim 1

An Oil/Water Separator comprising a portable container having rigid sides defining a flow inlet end at an upstream end and an outlet end at an opposite downstream end, said rigid sides including laterally spaced apart side walls and a rigid floor, rigid separating partitions extending in spaced array between said upstream and said downstream ends between said side walls so as define at least two chambers in an adjacent array in a downstream direction, said chambers separated by said rigid separating partitions rigidly mounted to, so as to extend between said opposite side walls, said chambers connected in fluid communication therebetween so that influent water containing oil to be separated enters a first upstream chamber, and is deposited into said first upstream chamber a first distance above said floor, said floor extending generally horizontally the length of said container so as to provide a base level in each of said chambers, said separating partitions including a first partition separating said first upstream chamber from an adjacent downstream coalescing chamber, said first partition having an opening under a lowermost edge thereof, between said lowermost edge and said floor, said lowermost edge of said first partition spaced above said base level a second distance, whereby water passes under said first partition in a water flow path from said first upstream chamber into said coalescing chamber, a coalescing pack mountable in said water flow path, mountable so as to be releasably rigidly mounted between said first partition and a second partition of said separating partitions rigidly mounted to said floor so as to extend generally vertically into said coalescing chamber a third distance above said base level, wherein said coalescing pack is a rigid spaced apart array of rigid sheet members supported in closely spaced apart relation so as to define between said rigid sheet members in said spaced apart array an array of cavities, each sized to maintain laminar flow between each of said rigid sheet members, thereby allowing water flowing along said water flow path to flow through said cavities in a generally laminar flow, whereby emulsified oil within said water flow coalesces within said coalescing pack so as to be separated as oil droplets having a reduced relative specific gravity, thereby flowing upwardly out of said water flow path to a water surface within said coalescing chamber, a downstream third partition of said separating partitions mounted between said side walls so as to form a downstream wall of said coalescing chamber, a water conduit mounted through said third partition, and angled upwardly from an inlet aperture to an outlet aperture, said inlet aperture of said water conduit spaced above said base level a fourth distance, said outlet of aperture of said water conduit spaced above said base level a fifth distance, said water flow path downstream of said coalescing pack, angling downwardly from an uppermost edge of said second partition to said inlet aperture of said water conduit, said first distance less than said fifth distance, and said first and fifth distances both greater than said second, third, and fourth distances.