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Above-Ground Oil-Water Separators

5 & 10 GPM | ~2–4 m³/h | ~68–137 BPD

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OPERATING TIER

Overview

Above-ground oil-water separators in the 400–600 GPM range occupy a critical operating tier. At this scale, wastewater treatment is no longer intermittent or peripheral. It is a continuous part of core operations, often tied directly to production uptime, environmental compliance, and downstream system protection.

Facilities selecting separators in this range are typically managing sustained flows, recurring solids loading, and variable oil characteristics over long operating cycles. Small design compromises that might be tolerated at lower flow rates become operational liabilities here, showing up as shortened maintenance intervals, unstable effluent quality, or forced shutdowns.

Mercer’s 400–600 GPM above-ground separators are built for this reality. They are designed to operate continuously under changing conditions, with internals sized and configured to manage solids, temperature effects, and hydraulic variability without relying on idealized influent assumptions.

Mercer has deployed systems at this scale in demanding industrial, utility, and energy environments where access, inspectability, and long-term serviceability determine whether a separator remains an asset or becomes a maintenance problem.

Built To Scale

Family Configurations

400 / 500 / 600 GPM

  • 90 – 140 m³/h
  • 3,712 – 20,568 BPD’

This product family follows Mercer’s large-system footprint and process design philosophy, with internal volume, coalescer configuration, and access features scaled to support continuous operation.

400 GPM ≈ 576,000 gallons per day ≈ 13,714 barrels per day ≈ 90 m3/hr

500 GPM ≈ 720,000 gallons per day ≈ 17,143 barrels per day ≈ 125 m3/hr

600 GPM ≈ 864,000 gallons per day ≈ 20,571 barrels per day ≈ 140 m3/hr

Please Note: Exact dimensions and configurations vary by application.

FIELD-PROVEN SYSTEMS

Installed in Real Operating Environments

At this capacity, scale is visible and experience is not optional.

The installations below represent actual Mercer systems operating in the 400–600 GPM range, deployed in facilities where solids, oil variability, and continuous duty are part of normal operation.

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

Con Edison

New York

Above Ground

400 GPM

TRUSTED BY INDUSTRY LEADERS

Installed at Facilities Operated By

A small sampling of companies with Mercer separators within the 400–600 GPM family range.

ENGINEERED TO SOLVE

Problems This Family is Designed to Solve

Solids Fouling in Traditional Coalescers

At sustained high flows, conventional corrugated plastic or tube-style coalescers foul rapidly as solids accumulate within internal pockets. Fouling reduces oil removal efficiency and often renders cleaning impractical.

Maintenance Access Limitations

Large systems that cannot be easily accessed or cleaned force extended shutdowns, confined space entry, or full media replacement to restore performance.

Misapplied Large-Scale Designs

Separators specified strictly by flow rate without accounting for solids behavior, oil type, temperature, viscosity, and maintenance constraints often underperform in continuous industrial service.

CORE TECHNOLOGY

The Heart of the System: The Multi-Pack™ Coalescer

A tank provides residence time. Separation performance is determined by what happens inside the coalescer.

Mercer’s Multi-Pack™ coalescer is not a generic media bundle. It is a purpose-engineered separation system built around five core design elements that control oil rise, solids shedding, hydraulic stability, and long-term maintainability.

1. Flat, Steep-Angled Plates

The Multi-Pack™ uses flat, steep-angled plates rather than corrugated or pocketed media. This geometry promotes predictable oil rise while allowing solids to shed cleanly from plate surfaces instead of lodging within the pack. Flat plates eliminate dead zones and prevent solids accumulation that leads to fouling in conventional designs.

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2. Field-Adjustable Plate Spacing

Unlike fixed media packs, the Multi-Pack™ offers field adjustability beyond or below the standard 1-inch spacing. Plate spacing can be configured to match actual wastewater conditions, including oil type, temperature, viscosity, and solids behavior.

This adjustability allows Mercer to tune separation performance instead of relying on one-size-fits-all assumptions.

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3. Herringbone Plate Configuration

Plates are arranged in a herringbone configuration to align the bottoms of the plates in one channeled frame differently from the tops of the plates coming together in the adjacent window.The result is the segregation of areas where oils are rising separately from solids settling

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4. Dedicated Chimney Zones for Oil and Solids

As oil droplets coalesce and solids shed from the plates, they enter dedicated Chimney Zones™ designed specifically for separation, not turbulence.

  • These quiescent chambers allow:
  • Oils to rise without re-entrainment
  • Solids to settle out of the process flow

By separating rising oils from settling solids, the Chimney Zones™ protect separation efficiency even under sustained solids loading and continuous operation.

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5. Ease of Cleaning with No Replacement Parts

The Multi-Pack™ coalescer is fully removable as a single assembly. Operators can remove the pack, visually inspect it, clean it, and return it to service without disassembling multiple internal components.

There has never been a Multi-Pack™ removed from a tank where operators could not see through to the opposite side before cleaning begins. Surface films may be present. Clogged pockets are not.

Because the Multi-Pack™ does not rely on disposable media:

  • Long-term maintenance burden is reduced
  • Media replacement costs are eliminated
  • Confined space entry inside the separator is avoided
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Audit. Measure. Design. Test. Guarantee.

All at no cost to you.

We walk your site, capture real influent data if needed, engineer a custom separator from your worst-case scenario, and validate performance before fabrication. Only after the data confirms it do we issue a written guarantee. That’s how risk is removed.

Start With Confidence

PROVEN LONGEVITY

Legacy Installations in Active Service

Built to Stay in Service

Many of the systems shown below were installed years ago and remain in continuous operation today. These are not retired examples or decommissioned assets. They are active separators, still managing oil and solids under real operating conditions.

Longevity at this scale is not accidental. It is the result of internal designs that can be inspected, cleaned, and adjusted over time rather than replaced.

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

Con Edison

New York, US

Above Ground

400 GPM

year: 2003

INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS

Applications Where This Family
Has Been Deployed

Above-ground oil-water separators in the 400–600 GPM range are deployed in operations where wastewater treatment is continuous, not intermittent, and where solids loading, oil characteristics, and maintenance access determine long-term performance more than nominal flow rate.

Heavy Industrial & Process Facilities

Large industrial plants generate continuous oil-bearing wastewater with sustained solids loading from production, washdown, and process support activities. At this scale, Mercer systems are selected for durability, full access to internals, and predictable long-term performance under non-ideal operating conditions.

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Energy & Oil Handling Operations

Upstream, midstream, and downstream facilities rely on Mercer separators to manage high-volume wastewater where oil type, temperature, and solids vary over time. These applications demand stable separation performance through changing operating cycles and extended run times.

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Utility & Infrastructure Operations

Major utility facilities, maintenance yards, and infrastructure hubs require separators capable of continuous operation with minimal downtime. Mercer systems are applied where access for inspection and cleaning is critical to maintaining compliance and protecting downstream assets.

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Transportation & Logistics Facilities

Large transportation hubs, fueling terminals, and logistics centers generate high-volume wastewater from fueling, equipment washing, and maintenance operations. Reliable separation and serviceability are essential to sustaining operations and avoiding unplanned shutdowns.

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Most Companies Quote. We Inspect.

Free site audit. No strings attached.

See What We Find

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.

How often does the Multi-Pack™ require cleaning?

A.

Cleaning frequency depends on solids loading and operating conditions. The removable design allows rapid inspection and cleaning without extended downtime.

Q.

Is this family suitable for stormwater?

A.

Yes, when solids loading and site conditions are properly evaluated.

Q.

What effluent levels can be expected?

A.

In many applications, Mercer systems achieve 5–10 ppm free hydrocarbons. Performance depends on influent characteristics.

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