Oil Tank Cleaning and Oil Recycling :
Large refineries, petrochemical and energy companies hold heavy oils, as crude oil, in large tanks. With time, heavy sediments accumulate at the bottom of the tanks, partially obstructing the tank and preventing its proper and economical operation.
Maintenance teams must shut-down operation and clean the sediments. They also perform routine maintenance, e.g., welding, that require a gas-free state within the tank.
Cleaning such tanks requires a massive work force and long shut-down periods of the tank, up to several months. Furthermore, petrochemical companies do not accept the sediments for re-use. Regulations classify these sediments as hazardous waste which requires disposal in special depositories. All this makes tank cleaning a costly operation.
Our collaborating company in TK group has developed a unique method for cleaning these tanks: two workers run a thermo-chemical process, cleaning a 15,000 m3 tank to near gas-free state within three weeks or less. The treatment unit is mobile; it can reach distant and difficult sites.