Due to the fact that the world is not a perfect place and McTighe is not the only company that offers an oil-water separator, we must educate others on the clear and specific benefits of installing a McTighe oil-water separator.

Many tank companies have tried to enter the oil-water separator market and have done so without a full understanding of how an oil-water separator works. Some have tried to fashion their separators around the McTighe design. Others have employed the services of a third party to set-up an initial catalog line of separators. Competition can be a good thing but it can also be a bad thing when inexperienced separator vendors experiment with your project.

From the beginning, McTighe has focused on the design of oil-water separators and our 20+ years of experience and great track record have proven our design. McTighe will not sell a separator unless we know it will meet the specified conditions in the influent. Every separator we sell goes through our engineering department and our drawings are signed by a registered professional engineer. A successful engineering project does not end at the sale of the separator as many of our competitors would hope. McTighe uses its expertise to help our customers foresee potential problems and recommend solutions. Make the solid choice when specifying or purchasing an oil-water separator - buy McTighe.

The following information is based upon our design experience, competitive literature and what our customers (the end user) have stated to us about the competition.

Most oil-water separators have some sort of solids collection area in the separator. Some of our competitors have a sludge baffle located directly in front of a corrugated plate pack which causes solids to build-up in front of the plates causing plugging problems. Others have a solids collection area directly below a corrugated plate pack that limits access for solids removal. Both of these designs create problems and result in increased maintenance time.

The sludge baffle in the McTighe oil-water separator is located downstream of our corrugated plate pack to prevent solids from accumulating in front of, and plugging, the corrugated plates. This sludge baffle is located directly below the separator access manway which allows for easy removal of sludge from grade without entering the vessel.

Corrugated parallel plates have proven their effectiveness over the years for coalescing oil particles; thus, many separator companies incorporate this technology. The main differences between separator companies that utilize this technology is the plate spacing and the angle of the corrugated plates. Some companies offer corrugated plates that have a small (1/2" to 3/4") gap between the plates. This creates plugging and maintenance problems when solids, grass clippings, debris, etc. are present in the flow stream. Other competitors have a corrugated plate pack that is horizontal or inclined less than 30 degrees. This also leads to plugging problems because solids are unable to drop out of the plates.

The patented corrugated plate arrangement in the McTighe oil-water separator provides the performance of closely spaced plates with a plate spacing much greater than 3/4". The plates are also inclined upwards at a 45o angle that allows solids to drop out of the corrugated plate pack. Our unique corrugated plate design is highly efficient, self-cleaning and requires almost no maintenance.

Many McTighe competitors provide an oleophilic (oil attracting) coalescer to aid in oil removal. The most popular material of construction is polypropylene. An oleophilic coalescer is great for handling flow streams with a low percentage of oil and solids in the influent. If larger oil concentrations are present, the coalescer can become saturated and lose its effectiveness. Some separator manufacturers use oleophilic plates or tubes as their primary, and only, means for oil removal. If field conditions are not ideal (meaning low oil concentrations and very little solids or debris), the maintenance requirements are much greater on separators of these designs.

McTighe offers, as an option, a secondary oleophilic oil coalescer to be used in conjunction with our corrugated plates. Because the corrugated plates in the McTighe oil-water separator are located at the front end of the separator and do the majority of the separation, our Petro Pak* coalescer only coalesces the small oil droplets that are not captured by the corrugated plates. The position of the McTighe Petro Pak* at the end of the separator also allows the vast majority of heavy solids to settle out prior to reaching the Pak*. The McTighe oil-water separator is designed to be highly effective at removing oil and also be maintenance friendly under a wide range of field conditions. Because polypropylene can soften in some applications, McTighe offers Kynar* and Teflon* media options for our Petro Pak* coalescer. Many competitors only offer polypropylene construction.

Oleophilic coalescers require routine maintenance because of their oil attracting nature. Therefore, sufficient access must be provided to easily remove and reinstall the coalescer. As mentioned in the paragraph C., some McTighe competitors utilize a polypropylene media coalescer as their primary and only means for coalescing oil. Many of these same competitors do not provide enough access to remove the coalescer in one piece or they claim the coalescer can be adequately cleaned in place.

McTighe provides steel channel for the Petro Pak* coalescer to slide down so removal and re-installation is quick and easy. The McTighe Petro Pak* is housed in a 304 stainless steel frame with lifting rod and on separator models over 1000 gallons, McTighe provides a rectangular manway for ease of coalescer access. There are cheaper arrangements but none better for the end user.

There are a couple of fiberglass tank manufacturers that have entered into the separator business. Fiberglass vessels provide a good means of storing liquid products provided that the product is known to be compatible with the fiberglass resin such as fuel storage tanks. Oil-water separators are not a closed system and a wide variety of oils, solvents, battery acid, etc., can be present in the influent. Fiberglass separators claim to offer a 30 year internal corrosion warranty; however, the warranty is only valid for stormwater run-off and only under the exact conditions present during the separator installation. Again, they want to know exactly what is going to go down the drain at all times, otherwise catastrophic failure can occur.

McTighe utilizes the benefits of fiberglass corrosion protection on the exterior of the oil-water separators because fiberglass is very resistant to soil environments. For interior corrosion protection, McTighe provides a superior, more flexible system of coated steel construction. McTighe engineers can choose from a wide variety of coatings to stand up to harsh site conditions and are not limited to a few fiberglass resins.