A Model for the Low to Moderate Speed Performance of the Rotating Disk Skimmer

Abstract

In an extensive experimental investigation (Christodoulou, 1985) the performance of a disk skimmer rotating in the vertical plane and partially immersed in a liquid has been studied. The aim of the study was to examine the physical and hydrodynamic parameters governing the oil collection rate of the disk when used as one element of a rotating disk skimmer, a device commonly employed to recover oil and similar immiscible liquids from a water surface. This paper presents a theoretical solution for the flow field set up by the disk which has led to an improved understanding of the hydrodynamics of the disk drag-out problem at low to moderate speeds. Experimental data are presented and compared with the theoretical solutions: discrepancies are then explained in terms of departures from the original assumptions.