Mercer delivers enhanced-gravity separation systems engineered for coal-fired power stations where oily runoff, coal fines, ash, and abrasive solids overwhelm traditional CPI tanks, pits, and slotted-pipe skimmers.
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Coal-fired power plants generate oily wastewater across a wide range of drainage points: conveyor lubrication systems, crusher house washdowns, turbine hall lube-oil, equipment bays, ash handling areas, fuel-oil backup systems, and stormwater from expansive coal pile surfaces. These flows are highly variable and often heavily loaded with coal fines, grit, rust, and suspended solids.
Yet many facilities still rely on CPI tanks, corrugated packs, or concrete pits originally built decades ago. When coal fines and ash enter these structures, they clog plate packs, blind flow passages, bury skim trenches, and destabilize the water column. Oil quickly mixes with solids, collapses, sinks, and turns into a persistent sludge layer that can remain untouched until a full outage or until compliance problems hit the outfall.
Mercer breaks that pattern.
Multi-Pack™ coalescer systems and Compliance Master™ separators deliver stable, automated performance in solids-heavy, high-variability coal environments. With automated oil removal, timed solids purging cycles, sealed covers, and abrasion-resistant construction, Mercer systems ensure predictable separation and fewer cleanouts, restoring compliance confidence for coal handling and power generation facilities.
Challenges
Coal dust, particulate, and bottom ash instantly blind CPI and plate packs, choke slotted pipes, and cause immediate media fouling in legacy units.
Oil contaminated with fines becomes dense and sinks quickly. Once sunken, it forms a compacted sludge layer that CPI systems cannot evacuate.
Coal pile runoff, containment drainage, and seasonal storms overwhelm old separators and drive hydrocarbon breakthrough.
#2 fuel-oil and turbine/generator lube-oil introduce variable viscosity and solids contamination that outdated facilities cannot predictably separate.
Decades-old pits suffer from uneven floors, corroded weirs, broken skimmers, and chronic solids burial.
Decades-old pits suffer from uneven floors, corroded weirs, broken skimmers, and chronic solids burial.
Solution
Mercer brings stable, repeatable, and automated separation performance to coal plants by controlling flow geometry, managing solids, and preventing the oil collapse that plagues traditional systems.
Mercer’s enhanced-gravity separators maintain rise paths and prevent blinding even when loaded with coal fines, ash, and grit.
Electromechanical skimming removes floating oils before fines can weigh them down, preventing sinking and sludge accumulation.
Automated hopper-bottom purge valves evacuate solids before they interfere with separation, eliminating the need for manual pit cleanouts.
Controlled velocities preserve separation during washdowns, storm events, and fuel-oil system maintenance cycles.
Airtight lids keep coal dust, debris, and VOCs contained, protecting operators and ensuring stable hydraulics.
Coatings and materials are selected to handle continuous exposure to abrasive solids and corrosive plant conditions.
APPLICATION AREAS
MERCER ADVANTAGE
Engineered for Coal’s Toughest Real-World Conditions
Many separators fail when exposed to coal fines — Mercer designs specifically to tolerate abrasive particulate without performance collapse.
Sealed, gasketed lids eliminate vapor seepage and prevent coal dust contamination.
CPI and simple gravity systems with slotted skim pipes foul immediately in coal environments. Mercer maintains rise paths and stable hydraulics.
No confined-space pit digging, no hand-skimmed trenches, no unpredictable CPI failures.
Consistent performance supports NPDES monitoring, sheen control, and environmental audits.
Fewer cleanouts, longer intervals between maintenance, reduced disposal volumes.
Yes. Controlled-flow geometry and purge systems prevent fouling and maintain upward rise paths.
Absolutely — abrasion-resistant coatings and hopper-bottom solids management are designed for these conditions.
Yes. SCADA/PLC integration, alarms, and automated valve actuation are standard options.
Usually every 6–12 months — significantly less than weekly CPI cleaning cycles.
Often yes. Multi-Pack™ modules can upgrade performance without major civil work.
Yes — they prevent dust contamination, stabilize hydraulics, and reduce vapor and odor exposure.
