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 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.
 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;
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.
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/m3, 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
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.
 It 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 m 3
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.