Fuel, Petrol, Oil Interceptors, Bypass Separators: Introduction

Note that throughout this section the term ‘separator’ is used instead of the term ’interceptor’.

Surface water drains normally discharge to a watercourse or indirectly into underground waters (groundwater) via a soakaway. Contamination of surface water by oil, chemicals or suspended solids can cause these discharges to have a serious impact on the receiving water.

Oil separators are installed on surface water drainage systems to protect receiving waters from pollution by oil, which may be present due to minor leaks from vehicles and plant, from accidental spillage or due to deliberate and illegal tipping into drains.

	Is there risk of oil contaminating the drainage from the site?
		Risk of infrequent light contamination and potential for small spills only, e.g. car park		Risk of regular contamination of surface water run off with oil and/or risk of larger spills, e.g. vehicle maintenance area, goods vehicle parking or vehicle manoevering5		Drainage will also contain dissolved oils, detergents or degreasers such as vehicle wash water and trade effluents, e.g. industrial sites		Fuel oils are delivered to and dispensed on site, e.g. retail forecourts		Very low risk of oil contamination, e.g. roof water
		Source control SUDS must be considered and incorporated where suitable     If not suitable								Separator not required
		Bypass Separator with alarm required Class I if discharge to surface water2,3 Class II if discharge to foul sewer1		Full Retention Separator with alarm required Class I if discharge to surface water2 Class II if discharge to foul sewer1		Trade effluents must be directed to the foul sewer1 It may need to pass through a separator before discharge to sewer for removal of free oils		Full Retention 'Forecourt' Separator with alarm required Class I if discharge to surface water2 Class II if discharge to foul sewer1,4		Clean water should not be passed through the separator unless the size of the unit is increased accordingly
		The use of SUDS should be considered at all sites and they should be incorporated where suitable. SUDS can be used to polish the effluent from these separators before it enters the environment6								Source control SUDS should be considered where possible
		1 You must seek prior permission from your local sewer provider before you decide which separator to install and before you make any discharge. 2 You must seek prior permission from the relevant environmental body before you decide which separator to install. 3 In this case, if it is considered that there is a low risk of pollution a source control SUDS scheme may be appropriate. 4 In certain circumstances, the sewer provider may require a Class 1 separator for discharges to sewer to prevent explosive atmospheres from being generated. 5 Drainage from higher risk areas such as vehicle maintenance yards and goods vehicle parking areas should be connected to foul sewer in preference to surface water. 6 In certain circumstances, a separator may be one of the devices used in the SUDS scheme. Ask us for advice.

This chart gives guidance to aid selection of the appropriate type of oil separator for use in surface water drainage systems which discharge into rivers and soakaways.

For further detailed information, please consult the Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guideline No. 3. (PPG 3) "Use and design of oil separators in surface water drainage systems” available from their website.

Klargester Environmental has a specialist team who provide technical assistance in selecting the appropriate Separator for your application.

Fuel/Oil Separator Range: Features and Benefits

Full Retention Separator NS Range

• All surface water treated
  
• Used on high risk sites
  
• Sized in litres per second flow
  
• Available in Class I and Class II formats

  - Class I includes coalescer and closure device, treating 100% of flow to achieve a concentration of 5mg/litre of oil

  - Class II to achieve concentration of 100mg/litre of oil

Bypass Separator NSBD Range

• Used on low risk sites (Car Parks)
  
• Sized in litres per second flow
  
• Available in Class I and Class II formats
  

  - Class I includes coalescer, treating 10% of flow to achieve a concentration of 5mg/litre of oil

  - Class II to achieve concentration of 100mg/litre of oil

Washdown & Silt Separator

• Used in areas such as car wash applications, tool hire depots, truck cleansing, construction compounds cleansing points
• Discharge directly into a foul drain, which feeds to a municipal treatment facility

Silt Traps

• Designed for use before a separator in car wash applications to ensure effective silt removal.
• Galvanised heavy duty cover
• Light and easy to install
• Maintenance from ground level

Alarm Systems

British European Standard BS EN 858-1 and Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guideline PPG3 requires that all separators are to be fitted with an oil level alarm system and that it should be installed and calibrated by a suitably qualified technician so that it will respond to an alarm condition when the separator requires emptying.

• Easily fitted to existing tanks
• Excellent operational range
• Visual and audible alarm
• Additional telemetry option

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