Patent ID: 8029668

Claim:
An apparatus for treating raw water comprising: a vessel having an inlet for the raw water and an outlet for a skimmed water, said vessel containing the raw water; a rotor mechanism for creating a plurality of gas bubbles within the raw water; a disperser means, operatively associated with the rotor mechanism, for dispersing the plurality of gas bubbles from the rotor mechanism within the vessel, and wherein said gas bubbles create an oily froth on the top of the raw water; an outflow line for the pneumatic removal of the oily froth from the top of the raw water during a skimming process; an external skim tank, wherein said external skim tank is configured to deliver a gas to said rotor mechanism and wherein said external skim tank and said outflow line are in fluid communication with said external skim tank receiving the oily froth from the vessel; and a closed loop gas line for communicating said gas from said external skim tank to said vessel and from said vessel, together with said oily froth, back to said external skim tank through said outflow line.