Patent ID: 7163107

Claim:
An oil and water separator apparatus comprising: an upper tank; a lower tank, the lower tank positioned adjacent to the upper tank; an inlet for the intake of oily wastewater; an outlet for the outflow of clean effluent, the outlet positioned opposite to the inlet; a plurality of upper tank plates, the upper tank plates positioned in the upper tank; a plurality of lower tank plates, the lower tank plates positioned in the lower tank, the upper and lower tank plates providing separation treatment for oily wastewater; upper air sparging array means situated below the upper tank and adjacent to the lower tank for performance of separation treatment; lower air sparing array means situated below the lower tank for the performance of separation treatment; means for enhancing in-situ cleansing of the upper and lower tank plates contaminated by exposure to the oily wastewater during said separation treatment, comprising: a main flow header; and means for positioning the upper and lower air sparging array means with a plurality of flow distributing branches connected thereto on the main flow header, air emergence means on the main flow header for outflow of pressurized air therefrom within the separator at plural locations therein below the plates; and means for injecting a chemical cleaning agent via a valved piping means, into said upper and lower tanks for cleaning said plates, wherein the upper and lower air sparing array means agitates and distributes the injected chemical cleaning agent.