The operating principle of a floating oil skimmer relies primarily on the difference in specific gravity between oil and water and on physical separation techniques, recovering floating oil from the water surface through methods such as adsorption, centrifugation, or gravity separation. The workflow of a mobile floating oil skimmer is described below:
1. Underwater Section:
Upon activating the oil recovery motor, the oil layer-having passed through a screen to filter out suspended solids-flows through a central pipe into the upper part of the oil collection cylinder, while water returns to the oil-water separation tank via a deflector hood.
2. Surface Section:
The oil pump is activated to draw the oil accumulated in the upper part of the collection cylinder-via hoses and a vacuum tank-into a secondary separation unit located above ground. Inside this unit, a honeycomb inclined-tube structure facilitates phase separation, causing oil to rise and water to sink; the oil flows out through a discharge pipe into a collection drum for subsequent recovery, reuse, or further processing. The water returns to the oil-water separation tank via an adjustment nut and a clean-water overflow channel.
