Cleaning of Above Ground Storage Tanks (AST), is a vital part of the operations in the oil and petrochemical industries. The cleaning of crude oil and derivative product tanks is required prior to periodic inspection and subsequent mechanical work.
Particularly, in cases of larger tanks containing crude oil, or other “black oil” products, such as residue, and heavy gas oils, cleaning of these tanks is a major undertaking that requires a great deal of planning, resources, manpower, time, and expenses. Moreover, the increasingly stringent legislation and regulations regarding environmental protection, safety practices, and operator’s health, have placed additional pressures on the oil and petrochemical industries to utilize safer and more environmentally friendly tank cleaning methods.
A large percentage of tanks on a world-wide basis are cleaned with manual or semi-manual methods. Those leave much to be desired because of their low observance of HSE practices, long tank cleaning time, and disposal of large volumes of contaminated matter.
Compared to manual/semi-manual cleaning techniques, the ORECO Automated Tank Cleaning Systems based on the non-man-entry concept, provide today the absolutely highest level of HSE Best Practice in the industry.
Our BLABO® system cleans tanks with the highest safety, much more quickly, and with recovery of valuable products, which minimizes the disposal of large volumes of pollutants. A distinctive feature of the BLABO® system is its closed loop cleaning system, which heavily reduces the impact of tank cleaning on the environment and provides the highest percentage of hydrocarbon recovery.