CLEANING METHOD FOR TANKS INTENDED FOR OIL AND OIL PRODUCTS STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION Russian patent published in 2015 - IPC B08B9/08 

FIELD: oil and gas industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention is related to oil industry, in particular, to processes of collection, accumulation, storage and transportation of oil and oil products in tanks of different purpose and design. Cleaning of tanks includes delivery of washing out agent, dilution and stirring of bottom sediments, discharge and transportation of diluted bottom sediments to the processing stage. At that washing out, dilution and stirring of bottom sediments is made with use of remote-controlled robot-aided guns equipped with video surveillance and lighting system placed inside the tank through the lower process hatches. Discharge of diluted bottom sediments is made by pumps installed at remote-controlled mobile units, which are also placed inside the tank through the lower process hatches while washing out and transportation are made by the washing out agent at temperature that depends on ambient air temperature up to 310°C under pressure of 1.0-10.0 MPa. Washing of the tank head, walls and bottom is made by orbital washing heads placed in the tank head hatches to which delivery of the washing out agent is switched. When the low explosive limit is exceeded inert gas is delivered to the tank automatically.

EFFECT: development of safe and effective cleaning of oil tanks from sediments and further processing of the above sediments.

2 dwg, 1 tbl