CLEANING CONTAINERS FROM OIL AND PETROLEUM PRODUCTS RESIDUE

WITH THE HELP OF EFFLUENT

When transporting oil and storing it in tanks, deposits ( oil sludge ) are formed at the
bottom, consisting of particles of mineral (non-petroleum origin) and the heaviest hydrocarbons,
mainly of the paraffin series, the specific gravity of which is higher than the density of oil and
water. Physically, sediments are a dense, non-fluid mass, located extremely unevenly along the
bottom of the tank. The sediment level ranges from 0.3 to 3 meters, and the volume ranges from
300 to 6000 m3. The sediment prevents the movement of oil and the mixing of its various layers
in the tank, which contributes to the localization of concentrated aggressive salt solutions and the
development of corrosion processes in the area of the bottom and first zone of the tank. At the
same time, the working (useful) volume of the tank decreases. All this reduces the operational
characteristics of the facility and negatively affects the quality of oil and oil products refilled into
these containers. According to the requirements set out in the “Rules for the Technical Operation
of Reservoirs” (2004), partial inspection of tanks with cleaning is provided at least once every 5
years, and a complete inspection at least once every 10 years. The frequency of cleaning tanks is
set out in the requirements of GOST 1510-84 and depends on the type of petroleum products, the
technical condition of the tanks, storage conditions and the frequency of changing the grade of
petroleum products. Timely cleaning of tanks from oil residues, highly viscous tarry sediments,
moisture and mechanical impurities will ensure the uninterrupted operation of oil depots, gas
stations, thermal power plants and fuel and lubricants storage facilities.
Cleaning tanks of sediment is a dangerous and labor-intensive job that requires
significant material costs. Even the most advanced cleaning method - chemical-mechanized -
does not exclude manual labor and the presence of people in the gas-contaminated area inside the
tank. Depending on the specific conditions (type, capacity of the reservoir, the presence of a
stationary system for washing out bottom sediments, the amount and mechanical properties of
solid oil residues ), various methods and technological schemes can be used to clean the
reservoir.
It should be noted that the methods of cleaning tanks are divided into three types: manual,
mechanical (mechanized) and mechanized cleaning method using detergents (chemical-
mechanized).
With the manual cleaning method, after removing solid residues, the container is steamed
and washed with hot (30 - 50) water from a fire nozzle at a pressure of (0.2 - 0.3) MPa. The
washing water with the remaining oil sludge is pumped out with a pump. The use of the manual
method of cleaning oil tanks has the following disadvantages:
Huge risk to the health and safety of people cleaning tanks using manual methods;
Personnel involved in cleaning tanks are usually much less trained than personnel
involved in maintaining the capital equipment of enterprises associated with oil production,
refining and transportation. This factor greatly increases the risk of human errors and even
criminal negligence. It is no secret that in the labor of unskilled, low-paid workers is often used
to perform such work;
With such cleaning methods, environmental pollution always occurs (water and air basins
and soil);
The volume of oil waste generated during such cleaning is enormous. This creates
problems with their subsequent transportation, disposal, recycling and/or disposal.
The mechanized cleaning method can be carried out by supplying hot water under
pressure through special washing machines (hydromonitors), steaming the surface of the tanks
for several days with superheated steam and subsequent mechanical cleaning, or using abrasive
jet cleaning devices. This cleaning method significantly reduces cleaning time, reduces tank
downtime, reduces the amount of heavy operations harmful to human health, and reduces the
cost of the tank cleaning process. The disadvantages of the mechanized method of cleaning tanks
include the high consumption of thermal energy for heating cold water, the need to pump
contaminated water to treatment facilities, and relatively large losses of light fractions from oil
residues .
The essence of the chemical-mechanized method is that tanks are cleaned using detergent
solutions that improve the separation of sediment from the walls, bottom and internal structures
of the tank. The use of these solutions helps to improve the quality of cleaning, the intensity of
the cleaning process, and is characterized by an insignificant degree of use of manual labor. The
main disadvantages of the method, which limit the possibilities of its practical application, are
the high cost of the special reagent used, the need for further purification of detergent solutions
and disposal of the reagent.
The most common cleaning method around the world remains manual cleaning of oil
sludge tanks . Cleaning of tanks in the technological process of most oil producing and oil
refining enterprises is traditionally considered as the last most important thing for the enterprise.
In addition, there are combined methods for cleaning containers and tanks. Here is an
approximate list of measures for using the combined cleaning method:
- Washing away oil sludge deposits accumulated on the bottom of the tank with a
washing solution;
- Washing off the remaining petroleum product (oil) from the walls of the tank with a
washing solution;
- Selection (pumping) of oil sludge obtained during the erosion of sediments from the
bottom of the reservoir into a temporary storage tank;
- Separation of petroleum product (oil) from the washing solution and mechanical
impurities;
- Injection of separated petroleum product (oil) into tank trucks, pipelines or containers;
- Degassing of tanks and containers using forced pressure ventilation;
- Mechanized cleaning of internal surfaces of tanks and containers;
- Manual cleaning of internal surfaces of tanks and containers;
- Collection of waste in storage quick-collection containers.
Stages of work production:
1. Tank inspection:
Conducted to obtain the following information:
- tank design;
- explosion and fire characteristics;
- state of the gas-air environment in the tank;
- amount of viscous and highly viscous sulfur, paraffin and mechanical deposits
2. Preparation for work:
- Determination of the location of work;
- Connection of portable grounding to the tank circuit;
- Laying pipelines from the work site to the tank for supplying technical detergent (TMS)
and pumping out the emulsion from the tank being washed;
- Connection to the steam main for heating the TMS and the pumped-out oil product is
not a prerequisite; it is possible to use your own transportable boiler unit (TCU);
- Test activation of the motors to determine the direction of rotation and check the sealing
of the connection;
3. Determining the presence of non-selectable residue and pumping it out.
Before starting work, with the tank hatch open or through the gauging hatch, the level of
the non-selectable oil product residue is determined using a meter rod. The measurement results
are compared with the indicators of the calibration tables of the given tank.
After determining the residues, a suction hose or a submersible axis-diagonal pump with
a hydraulic drive is lowered into the tank to a certain depth to pump out a commercial petroleum
product, which is supplied to the cleaning and filtration system, after which it enters the storage
tank.
 Pure petroleum product can be pumped to another tank or fuel tanker, and in their
absence - to a storage tank.
4. Preliminary degassing of the tank to an explosion-proof state:
To create safe conditions for using a jet pressure washer, using a washing machine or a
fire nozzle (for dark petroleum products), an explosion-proof condition must be ensured inside
the tank, which is achieved by degassing. The explosion-proof state of the gas-air environment is
established based on the results of gas analysis, which is carried out as necessary during work.
A safe concentration of petroleum product vapors in the tank is achieved by washing the
inner surface of the tank with TMS using a washing machine or fire nozzle for three complete
cycles while constantly spraying the TMS solution over the surface of the tank for 20-25
minutes. If the washing quality is insufficient, the cycles are repeated.
After pumping out the emulsion and oil sludge from the tank at a vapor concentration
below 0.8 of the lower flammability limit of the device (gas analyzer), forced degassing begins.
When the concentration of petroleum product vapor in the tank decreases to 50% of the
lower flammability limit (0.5 LVP), the permissible flow rate increases to 50 m/sec.
In order to prevent stagnant zones with low air mobility in the tank, the speed in the
initial stage of forced degassing must be at least 2 m/sec. The fan installed for forced degassing
must comply with the required standards.
5.Removal of technological residue of dark oil product:
In a tank containing high-viscosity petroleum products, the non-removable residue
contains mechanical impurities, paraffin deposits and corrosion products of the tank metal.
In the tank, when using a TMS solution heated to 60-65°C, local heating of the oil
product is carried out. TMS is supplied under a pressure of 10 kgf/cm 2. The suction pipe of the
submersible pump is located at a distance of 5-8 mm from the bottom of the cleaned tank. Metal
parts of steam lines and hoses for TMS must be reliably grounded. The concentration of
hydrocarbon vapors in the gas-air environment is no more than 2 g/m 3, that is, 5% of the lower
explosive limit .
6. Washing the internal surfaces of tanks:
After removing the technological residue of the petroleum product, the tank is washed
with a TMS solution.
The operating temperature of the solution must be at least 5° C. For dark petroleum
products, the solution temperature should be 50-60° C. The jet pressure ensures that the TMS
solution penetrates the surface layer of the petroleum product without creating splashes, which,
when removed from the surface, can be charged with static electricity. The jet pressure at the
outlet of the machine nozzle is 10 atm, the jet length is 12 meters.
The productivity and number of washing cycles depends on the degree of contamination
and the viscosity group of the oil product.
7. Degassing of the gas space to sanitary standards:
To degas the tank, all inspection and gauging hatches must be open. Degassing is
performed with a fan, intermittently, for 20 minutes for 1.5-2 hours to achieve the maximum
permissible concentration:
- gasoline vapors in the air 100 mg/m3
- hydrogen sulfide - 10 mg/m3
- tetraethyl lead - 0.005 mg/m3
In tanks with pontoons, degassing of the gas space is carried out sequentially under and
above the pontoons.
Ventilation of leaded gasoline tanks is carried out by washing with a TMS solution
adding or spraying separately a solution of potassium permanganate (KMnO4), the concentration
of which is 0.025%.
During the entire degassing process and every hour, gas concentrations are measured and
the data is recorded in a gas concentration measurement chart.
 8. Additional cleaning of the internal surface of the tank, visual inspection of the bottom
and walls:
Before the operator enters the tank, a control analysis of the air in it is carried out for the
content of petroleum product vapors, and while the operator is in the tank, exhaust ventilation is
continuously running to ensure 3-4 times the air exchange.
The operator is equipped with a special suit and shoes. To work in the tank, a gas mask
with a panoramic mask, a safety belt with cross-shaped straps and a signal and safety cord are
used.
When working inside the tank, three people are involved (two near the manhole, one in
the tank). The operator's time in the tank is 15 minutes, rest time is 15 minutes.
Selected oil sludge residues and mechanical impurities are disposed of when cleaning
tanks.
All of the above allows us to conclude that the currently used traditional technological
surface treatment processes are environmentally hazardous, time-consuming, ineffective and
extremely expensive. The components of high cost are high heat and energy consumption ,
significant water consumption, the need for stationary treatment facilities and equipment for the
separation of petroleum products.
In this regard, it becomes extremely important to replace traditional technologies with
more progressive, economical ones that improve the quality of cleaning of washed surfaces and
allow organizing a closed, waste-free process for separating hydrocarbon compounds.
Such a technology can be a microbiological method for cleaning containers from oil and
petroleum products. The technical result of this method is the complete cleaning of containers
from oil and petroleum products without the formation of explosive mixtures of gases in the
cavity of the container.
An effluent is added to the tank with the remaining oil or petroleum products - a solution
of activated sludge of anaerobic origin with a maximum humidity of 91%,
carbon/nitrogen/phosphorus ratio 25/1/1, pH 7÷8.5. As a result of the microbiological reaction
and active symbiosis of the consortium of microorganisms contained in the activated sludge
solution of anaerobic origin, oil and petroleum products are destroyed to carbon, nitrogen and
their compounds with hydrogen, which lose their mechanical connection with the walls of the
tank. To decompose petroleum products, it is necessary to maintain the oxygen concentration in
the solution volume at a level of 2-5 mg/l, which is achieved by pumping compressed air into the
solution at a speed of 0.5-1.5 m3 of air/m3 of water per minute. At temperatures below 10°C, the
air must be heated. At the end of microbiological activity and the complete conversion of oil and
petroleum products to carbon, nitrogen and their compounds with hydrogen, the container is
drained . The resulting activated sludge solution is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and,
therefore, does not require further purification.
Today, biotechnologies are known based on the ability of microorganisms to destroy oil
hydrocarbons, which can be used in cleaning tanks from oil sludge . The advantage of the
proposed method is that the main product used ( effluent ) is a by-product of processing organic
waste in a biogas plant and, therefore , has a lower cost compared to known biological oil
destructor products .