Case Study: Oil Recovery Plant
Phoenix Collector, Hamina, Finland
Background
Phoenix Collector is a Finnish company specializing in oil recovery, primarily handling oil-containing waters and waste oils derived from shipping and port activities. Since 1996, the company has been active in marine waste services, focusing on slop oil and sludge collection (MARPOL) and tank farm cleaning.
The facility is located at the Port of Hamina on Finland’s southern coast. Collection and delivery of slop oil are mainly carried out by Phoenix’s own fleet of tankers.
The oil is processed in a thermo-mechanical plant designed in part by its parent company, HEAD Engineering from Sweden. The facility operates three Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges and one decanter centrifuge, separating water and solids from the oil. The process is combined with Lucent Chemicals’ demulsifier 160/161 to optimize recovery. Both Lucent Chemicals and Phoenix Collector belong to the Swedish group HEAD Engineering.
Demulsifier 160/161 ensures effective oil–water separation by:
- Breaking up surfactant- and particle-stabilized emulsions
- Accelerating coalescence of water droplets
- Creating a clean, oil-free water phase
The plant processes around 10,000 m³ of waste oil per year, with an oil content of 25–30 vol-%. Water from the recovery process is collected in a 3,500 m³ tank and treated by centrifugal separation and carbon filtration before discharge.
Problem
Phoenix faced challenges when incoming oil contained high levels of water and solid impurities. This reduced process efficiency, impacted oil quality, and strained the recycling system.
In addition, the Finnish Environment Agency enforces strict wastewater discharge limits, requiring advanced treatment and constant monitoring to remain compliant.
Solution
Phoenix addressed these challenges by implementing a combined thermo-mechanical and chemical treatment system:
- Collection & Processing: Slop oil collected under MARPOL regulations is transported and processed in Hamina.
- Thermo-Mechanical & Chemical Treatment: Centrifuges and Lucent’s demulsifier work together to maximize recovery efficiency.
- Sustainable Recycling: The recovered oil is refined into REACH-classified burn oil with BS&W below 0.5%.
- Efficient Water Treatment: Extracted water is treated and purified to below 1 ppm oil before being safely discharged into the Baltic Sea.
The facility processes approx. 200 m³ of waste oil per week (48 weeks per year), corresponding to 3 m³/hour, of which around 2.25 m³/hour is water requiring treatment.
Outcome
Phoenix Collector successfully transformed waste oil into valuable industrial fuel while ensuring environmental responsibility. Key results include:
- Environmental Compliance: Safe discharge of treated water into the Baltic Sea (<1 ppm oil)
- Cost Efficiency: Clients are relieved from managing hazardous waste oils
- Fuel Quality: Burn oil produced with BS&W <0.5%
- Sustainability: 10,000 m³/year of waste oil recovered and recycled
Case Study: Aluminium Cold Rolling
Gränges AB, Finspång, Sweden
Background
Gränges AB, headquartered in Finspång, Sweden, is a global leader in aluminium rolling, with roots dating back to 1922. The company develops advanced aluminium materials used in automotive heat exchangers, building applications, and increasingly battery components for electrification.
To ensure stable production quality, Gränges introduced Lucent’s Alu Treater in 2007 at its cold rolling mill in Finspång to improve process oil purification and filtration efficiency.
Problem
The cold rolling process faced recurring issues related to oil quality and system performance:
- Surface defects on aluminium foil (stains, pinholes) caused by fine particles in the oil
- Rapid differential pressure (DP) increases across filter stacks, requiring frequent maintenance
- High consumption of pre-coat media (e.g., diatomaceous earth)
- Shortened service life of process oil due to contamination buildup
These problems negatively affected product quality, machine availability, and operational costs.
Solution
Gränges implemented Alu Treater dosing into the clean oil tank of its cold rolling mill. The product is added by a dosing pump, controlled manually or via conductivity monitoring.
Alu Treater 74/76 is a surface-active formulation designed to:
- Bind and remove sub-micron contaminants (soot, metal particles, water)
- Mix with circulating oil applied to the aluminium foil
- Form a secondary filter layer, slowing DP increase and improving pre-coat media efficiency
- Aggregate contaminants into larger droplets for easier capture in the filter
Alu Treater is FDA-compliant, safe to handle, and compatible with standard filtration systems.
Outcome
The introduction of Alu Treater at Gränges delivered measurable benefits across product quality, process efficiency, and oil control:
Product Quality
- Reduced stains and pinholes on foil due to cleaner process oil
Process Efficiency
- 80% reduction in unscheduled downtime
- 25% increase in production output
- 90% reduction in production waste
- 50% reduction in pre-coat media consumption
System Performance
- Slower DP increase across filter systems
- Extended filter and oil service life
- Reduced wear on spray nozzles, valves, and pumps
Oil Quality Control
- Conductivity reduced by 60%
- Values consistently maintained below 500 pS
- Improved monitoring of oil condition for early detection of water or oxidation contamination