Separating Oil from Machine Tool Coolant

It has been a few years since we proved the process of separating oil from machine tool coolant. The overall test was completed at a large machining facility in Arlington, Texas. The MSR 11 test separator was utilized for this process and worked well for separating large quantities of oil from the machine tool coolant. The photo below illustrates the difference between the separator inlet and outlet oil content and also the captured oil. The photo also shows how effective and economical an MSR oil-water separator can be. In addition, the separated machine tool coolant can be reused.

The results of the test indicate that the separation is very satisfactory, but the test separator is too small to adequately purify and maintain purity of the volume of coolant in the large size coolant tank (6000 gallons or 22700 liters) used at the facility. A much larger size Model MSR 34-1 separator is suggested to remove the current inventory of oil in the coolant and to prevent future accumulation of oil by removing it as it enters the coolant system.

The process study shows that MSR coalescing plate separators should do an excellent job of recovering almost all of the oil droplets and solids particles within a flow stream. Since little or no maintenance is required for this type unit, and no utilities are required, operating costs should be very minimal.

If you would like a copy of the full field test study on machine tool coolant purification, it is available for download in our Knowledge Center page. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to call: 918-299-9290 or email us at info@oilandwaterseparator.com. Thanks and we look forward to hearing from you!