coolant / water separator

[Judge]

Hello,

In our Machining Dept. we use a water soluble coolant ( cutting fluid ). We would like to reduce the cost of disposal of the used coolant by removing the water content which is approx. 94%. Does anyone know if there is a separator available which can remove the water clean enough to put in the drain.

Thank you

 

[MikeHalloran]

If you've got a source of waste heat available, you could vacuum distill much of the water out. If you have to buy heat, it will cost more. In either case, you'll have to monitor the process, test the recovered water before discharge, and file a lot of paperwork. The guy who hauls your spent coolant away now certainly has to; the question you have to answer is if you can do it cheaper, or recover some extra value, e.g. oil and/or metals, after removing the water.

I'm guessing that equipment sold in recent years for recycling glycol engine coolant might balance the costs differently than when this paper appeared:

http://www.p2pays.org/ref/07/06209.htm

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[tomwalz]

If you try evaporation make sure you let it sit for a few days so you can skim the tramp oils off the top. If you have the room you can let it sit in open drums and evaporate.

You shouldn’t be changing coolants any more often than every six months so this shouldn’t be a problem.

Tom


Thomas J. Walz
Carbide Processors, Inc.

http://www.carbideprocessors.com