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When evaluating various manufacturers' oil water separator offerings, there are some very important considerations to make in regard to total life-cycle costs of the equipment. Like most industrial wastewater equipment, an oil water separator is not a set-it-and-forget-it system. The initial purchase price of the separator is only the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to understanding the overall cost during its useful lifespan. Procurement, installation, and maintenance costs are the three main areas that need to be carefully analyzed to help ensure the various manufacturers' equipment offerings are being fairly compared.

Typical specifications for industrial wastewater treatment equipment call for a 20-year equipment operating life span. However, some industries like the Oil & Gas industry have benchmarks of a 30-year expected operational life. One recent nuclear power plant specification called for a 60-year operating life. It is important to consider not only the advantages of choosing superior materials of construction for long-term cost savings, but it is also paramount to find ways to extend periods between required maintenance schedules. By increasing periods between maintenance, it can be seen that very significant savings are realized. In many cases, the after-installation costs on a mid-sized separator can exceed $1,000,000 over the life cycle of the equipment. This represents a significant savings, and we find that it is rarely being scrutinized closely by the end user. Cutting corners during the selection process could either mean exorbitantly high cleaning costs moving forward, or a unit that does not stand up to the test of time; thereby the entire separator needing early replacement.

This document is a review of both the initial and long-term costs that should be considered when comparing oil/water separator designs, and explains how investing in a Compliance Master™ oil/water separator saves its clients substantial operation and maintenance capital. Like anything else in this world . . .you usually get what you pay for…or less! Mercer takes great pride in being a leader in oil water separation design. Superior design produces superior results. Superior results make the choice for a premium product easily justifiable to the end user once they clearly identify the long-term benefits and cost savings obtained by a more thoughtfully-designed system. The Mercer advantage offers an end user a better solution with higher performance and substantial operational cost savings over the life of the equipment.