Skimmer separators are mainly used to separate or remove oil from the surface of water, solvents, cleaning solutions and other fluids. There are two basic types of skimmers, one type is used to filter and remove oil, debris and unwanted materials. The other type is used to recover or capture oil in a usable state. Typically this second type of skimmer is used to clean up oil spills in factories, refineries and bodies of water. Applications for skimmers separators include in-plant pumps, tanks and coolant systems as well as outdoor cooling and settling ponds. When selecting skimmers, important specifications to consider include capacity, removal or recovery rate and total flow.