Apparatus, systems, and methods for improving slop water treatment efficiency

An apparatus, comprising:

• a vessel into which contaminated fluid is adapted to be fed, the vessel being located on an oil rig, wherein the contaminated fluid is adapted to be separated in the vessel into a clean fluid layer and one or more contaminant layers floating on a surface of the clean fluid layer;
• a skimmer positioned above at least a portion of the vessel;
• one or more level sensors adapted to sense a location of an interface between the clean fluid layer and the one or more contaminant layers;
• a first position sensor adapted to sense a height of the skimmer relative to the vessel;
• and
• a control unit to which the one or more level sensors is/are adapted to report the sensed location of the interface, and to which the first position sensor is adapted to report the sensed height of the skimmer;
• wherein the control unit is adapted to adjust the height of the skimmer, based on the reported location of the interface and/or the reported height of the skimmer, so that one or more components of the skimmer are positioned proximate the sensed location of the interface;
• and
• wherein after the control unit adjusts the height of the skimmer, the skimmer is adapted to skim at least one of the one or more contaminant layers off of the clean fluid layer proximate the sensed interface.

A system, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable medium;
• and
• a plurality of instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by one or more processors, the plurality of instructions comprising:
• instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to sense, using one or more level sensor, a location of an interface between a clean fluid layer and one or more contaminant layers separated within a vessel to which a contaminated fluid has been fed, and to report the sensed location of the interface to a control unit;
• instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to sense, using a first position sensor, a height of a skimmer relative to the vessel, and to report the sensed height of the skimmer to the control unit;
• instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to adjust, using the control unit and based on the reported location of the interface and/or the reported height of the skimmer, the height of the skimmer so that one or more components of the skimmer are positioned proximate the sensed location of the interface;
• and
• instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to skim, using the skimmer, at least one of the one or more contaminant layers off of the clean fluid layer proximate the sensed interface.