Oil-in-wastewater discharges are highly regulated and each region of the world has their specific regulations. For the offshore oil industry regulating bodies such as the NPDES (national pollutant discharge elimination system) in the US have strict ppm limits that are coupled with costly fines for non-compliance.
Onshore industrial wastewater producers also have limits imposed either by the wastewater treatment facilities or by government regulations such as the US Clean Water Act (CWA) or the EUs Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC). Excessive amounts of oil in the wastewater discharge can lead to fines and/or pollution from sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).
Portable infrared analysers, such as the InfraCal TOG/TPH analysers from Wilks Enterprise, provide on-site oil-in-water measurement capability in a matter of minutes, eliminating the wait for off-site laboratory results. They help provide the assurance that oil-in-water levels are in compliance with discharge permits, and give treatment operators needed information on how their system is performing.
The rugged InfraCal TOG/TPH analysers have been specifically designed for easy, on-site measurement of the oil and grease concentration level in water in under 15 minutes, and are built for years of dependable operation. They are based on field-proven infrared technology and enable non-technical users to obtain accurate measurements with a few simple steps. Measurement data correlates with EPA methods 1664, 413.2, 418.1 and ASTM methods D7066 and D3921.
Currently, there are upwards of 2,500 InfraCal analysers in worldwide operation – many of which are on oil and gas drilling platforms. Their performance and reliability have made them the industry standard for determining oil and grease concentration levels in water – both for onshore and offshore use.