Steam It — and Mercer Will Clean It
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INDUSTRY INSIGHT
Mercer delivers high-efficiency enhanced gravity separation for SAGD, CSS, and Oil Sands mining wastewater, handling heavy oil, bitumen, solids, and temperature extremes with proven reliability.
Oil Sands and Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) operations generate some of the most challenging oily water streams in the energy sector. High temperatures, bitumen-rich oils, fine clays, and suspended solids can overwhelm traditional knock out tanks, skim pits, and CPI-style units. Many operators still rely on massive concrete separators or oversized settling structures that struggle to keep up with modern production rates and environmental scrutiny.
Mercer International’s Compliance Master™ separator with the Multi-Pack™ coalescer system is engineered specifically to address these difficulties. Built for extreme fouling environments, temperature fluctuations, and complex oil chemistries, Mercer systems provide up to 99.9% removal of free and dispersed hydrocarbons, while minimizing maintenance and operator intervention.
These compact, rugged, and automation-ready enhanced gravity systems support regulatory compliance, oil recovery, operational uptime, and reduced OPEX, all critical performance drivers for today’s Oil Sands and SAGD producers.
ENERGY INDUSTRIES
MERCER ADVANTAGE
Mercer’s enhanced gravity systems overcome the limits of conventional API/CPI designs with engineered hydraulics, wide spacing, and fouling-resistant Multi-Pack™ technology.
Core Advantages:
Engineered to handle elevated temperatures and viscous hydrocarbons without plugging.
No nooks or crannies. No corrugated plates. No air-scrubber media. Spacing and geometry are optimized for heavy crude and solids-rich environments.
Wide-open Chimney zones™, full-length hopper bottoms, and unobstructed flow paths maintain separation performance even with dense settleable solids.
Fits where legacy skim tanks or API pits currently sit, allowing modernization without major civil work.
Recovered hydrocarbons offset water treatment costs, improving overall project economics.
Level controls, alarms, skimmers, auto-purge valves, and SCADA connectivity support zero-touch operation.
APPLICATION AREAS
Yes. Mercer provides high-temperature configurations engineered for SAGD thermal conditions.
Absolutely. Multi-Pack™ internals were designed for high-viscosity, heavy oil environments.
Intervals vary by solids load, but they are significantly longer than CPI or corrugated plate units.
Yes. All controls can be integrated into plant DCS/SCADA platforms.
Yes, often with a smaller footprint and far higher performance.
