Chem-Ecol is a major North American and Canadian reclaimer and recycler of industrial oils, transformer oils and turbine oils. We provide both on-site and off-site purification and reclaiming of almost any type of industrial oil, electrical insulating oil or turbine oils. Our process provides specification products and we can restore additives if required. Reclaiming, recycling and purification of these fluids are well-established technologies.
Turbine oils – reclaiming, recycling and purification
Turbine oils often become contaminated with water from seal or steam leaks and the standard solution has been to drain the system and replace the fluid with new oil. Old oils lose additives and start to retain water and small dirt particles. Our mobile reclaiming and purification equipment is capable of drying these oils while the systems operate and also provides super-fine filtration to ‘better than new’ cleanliness levels.
Broken down additives are removed by the filters and we have the capability of adding new additives and extending the life of the lubricant by many years. Antioxidants, rust preventatives and de-emulsifiers can be restored while on-line. Oils taken out of systems can be brought to our plant for reclaiming and purification.
Transformer and dielectric oils – reclaiming, recycling and purification
Oil-filled transformers operate well so long as the paper insulation stays dry and does not break down and shed particles. Moisture accumulation eventually leads to paper break down, loss of dielectric strength and eventually further break down and arcing, causing shortened life of transformers.
We can connect to transformers and reclaim, recycle and purify the oils without removing them from the transformer. Rapid recirculation of the oil through our high vacuum units, followed by super fine filtration, removes dissolved water, dissolved gases and broken down paper particles. Dielectric levels after reclaiming can exceed those of new oils. Residual moisture levels are as low as 4 ppm and on-line particle counters ensure that we meet any ISO particle cleanliness specified. Large electrical switches can also be reclaimed and purified, degassed and filtered. Lost additives can be restored while we process these oils.
Industrial oil reclaiming and purification
As well as the above types of oils, we process, reclaim and purify large volumes of other industrial oils, such as hydraulic oils, gear oils, quenching oils, heat transfer oils and cutting oils.
All oils are purified and processed in batches for return to the original users. All oils are certified by outside consulting laboratories, to ensure product quality and customer confidence.
Oil processing services
We can process contaminated oils by using mobile reclaiming equipment installed in tractor trailers, straight trucks or with small portable units that can be placed alongside equipment that is not readily accessible.
Oils can also be transported to our main facility for reclaiming of highly contaminated oils that are not suitable for treatment with mobile equipment. Examples of this would be oils that have more than 10% water emulsified in them, or that are highly contaminated with dirt and other solids.
We operate a licensed waste disposal site and transport all waste oil to our main facility in our own equipment. We have a fleet of multi-compartment tank trucks, as well as smaller trucks; all are fully licensed to transport waste oil in all mainland US states and all Canadian provinces.
Mobile oil reclaiming equipment
Our mobile reclaiming equipment provides the following capabilities: processing speeds up to 6,000 USG per hour (22,700l/hr), full computer control of the process, in-line moisture meters coupled directly to the computer controls, four stages of filtration, filtration down to ½ microns, on-site ISO particle counters, additive restoration if needed, two-stage high vacuum system with vacuum booster, ultimate residual moisture levels of about 4 ppm, propane-fired heating system, and diesel-powered generator allowing operation without external power connections.
About Chem-Ecol
We have been in business since 1975 and have a licensed waste oil disposal facility near Toronto, Ontario, and can accept for treatment any industrial or electrical oil containing less than 50 ppm of PCBs. Oils that cannot be reclaimed and sent back to the original user are purified and manufactured into various industrial cutting and lubricating oils. We do not accept or process any used automotive or engine oils.
We can accept large volumes of oils and have a tank farm that can contain up to 440,000 US gallons of oil.
We fully follow the 3R concepts and do not send any oil to fuel burning or disposal facilities, but reclaim or recycle all oils sent to us and turn them into usable products.