Oil/water separator

A separator comprising elements designed and positioned to separate a feed mixture consisting essentially of liquids of differing densities including a substantially cylindrical vortex generating chamber having a vertical axis, a liquid entry duct communicating at one end tangentially with said vortex generating chamber at a point near the upper edge of said vortex generating chamber, pump means having inlet and outlet ports, the outlet port of said pump means communicating with the other end of said liquid entry duct, a conical truncated accelerating chamber affixed at its larger end coaxially to the bottom of said vortex generating chamber and having its truncated apex comprising an orifice directed downwardly, a thin-walled vortex finding tube extending through said orifice and within said accelerating chamber substantially along the vertical axis of said accelerating chamber a distance into said accelerating chamber sufficient to provide separating efficiences up to 94%, first liquid collecting means communicating with said orifice and second liquid collecting means communicating with said vortex finding tube.