An oil water separator system (OWS) is equipment to separate oil and water mixtures into their separate components. They are most commonly found on board ships where they are used to separate oil from oily waste water such as bilge water before the waste water is discharged into the environment. Through extensive research, Jetvac was able to demonstrate laboratory and pilot scale systems that also incorporate capabilities to remove heavy metals, cleaners, glycol, solvents, phosphates and nitrates.[1]
The Oily Water Separator (OWS) is the main transportation of the bilge. The bilge area is the lowest area on a ship. This is where most of the liquid drains from things such as steam boilers, water purification systems and oil lab deep sink drains. The main places inside the hull of the ship where Bilge drains into are the Main Engine room, Auxiliary Machine rooms and Shaft Ally. This is where the water is collected and referred to as "bilge water" or "oily waste water". The bilge water that is often collected includes drain/leftover water from the boilers, water collecting tanks, drinking water and other places where water can be overflowed. However, bilge water doesn’t just include water drains. Another system that drains into the Bilge system comes from the propulsion area of the ship. Here fuels, lubricants, hydraulic fluid, antifreeze, solvents, cleaning chemicals also drain into the bilge system in small quantities. The Oil Water Separator system is intended to remove a large proportion of these contaminants before discharge to the environment. Jetvac Incorporated is promoting environmental concern while earning a profit; two goals hit in one product, the Oil Water Separator System.