An oil skimmer is a machine

Machine

A machine manages power to accomplish a task, examples include, a mechanical system, a computing system, an electronic system, and a molecular machine. In common usage, the meaning is that of a device having parts that perform or assist in performing any type of work...

 that separates a liquid

Liquid

Liquid is one of the three classical states of matter . Like a gas, a liquid is able to flow and take the shape of a container. Some liquids resist compression, while others can be compressed. Unlike a gas, a liquid does not disperse to fill every space of a container, and maintains a fairly...

 from particles floating on it or from another liquid. A common application is removing oil

Oil

An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....

 floating on water

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

. These technologies are commonly used for oil spill

Oil spill

An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...

 remediation but are also commonly found in industry. They were used to great effect to assist in the remediation of the Exxon Valdez

Exxon Valdez

Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean is an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska...

 spill

Exxon Valdez oil spill

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled of crude oil. It is considered to be one of the most devastating human-caused...

 in 1989.

Oil skimmers are commonly found in three types: weir, oleophilic, and drum:

• Weir skimmers function by allowing the oil floating on the surface of the water to flow over a weir
  Weir
  A weir is a small overflow dam used to alter the flow characteristics of a river or stream. In most cases weirs take the form of a barrier across the river that causes water to pool behind the structure , but allows water to flow over the top...
  
  . The height of the weir may be adjustable. These devices will collect water when oil is no longer present. Weir skimmers are also available in floating, self-adjusting variations. These models allow them to be effectively used even in changing water levels.

• Drum skimmers function by using a rotating element such as a drum, to which the oil adheres
  Adhesion
  Adhesion is any attraction process between dissimilar molecular species that can potentially bring them in close contact. By contrast, cohesion takes place between similar molecules....
  
  . The oil is wiped from the surface of the drum and collected. They are very efficient and do not pick up any appreciable amounts of water even when oil is not present.

• Oleophilic skimmers are distinguished not by their operation but by the component used to collect the oil. Ropes, discs, or drums are treated with a substance or otherwise manufactured to adhere to oil.

External links

• Oil Skimmer Video