Day 9 - Re-suspension completed
The crude, with soluble hydrocarbons in suspension, is now ready for client’s process instructions.
In a typical test, there were some 2600 cubic metres of sludge in the tank. After 15 hours operation, 2300 of these had been re-suspended. After a further 15 hours the total increased to 2500 cubic metres – an effectiveness in excess of 90%.
Days 7 & 8 - The cleaning process – putting the hydrocarbons back into suspension
The specialist team set the de-sludging operation in progress by re-circulating the light crude and pumping it back into the tank at up to 1000 cubic meters per hour per unit. As the P43®s units rotate slowly inside the tank, the jet of crude sweeps up the sludge-cutting, re-suspending and homogenising it in the overhead oil ready for normal refining processes. The exit velocity from each nozzle is carefully calculated to ensure that all soluble sludge in the tank is re-suspended.
Days 5 & 6 - Re-filling the tank
After a thorough check of the installation, the client refills the tank to a pre-determined level with light crude.
Days 3 & 4 - Site preparation & installation
The site is prepared and the P43®s are inserted into the tank, mounted on custom-made manway covers. Then the high-volume pumps, powered by up to 1000 HP engines, are connected, ready for the de-sludging operation.
Days 1 & 2
Client's bottoms tank
The tank is bottomed to allow access through the manway covers for the P43®s. This operation is normally carried out by the client before our specialist operators arrive on site.
This illustrates an operation to desludge a tank within 12 days using P43®s as tank clearing tools. The P43® can be permanently installed as a continuing clearing operation as shown in "Flow Patterns"
Day 10 - Equipment removed – tank now available for re-use
After removal of the P43® de-sludging equipment, residues can be handled by conventional methods. Alternatively, the tank can be put straight back into operation for storing crude. In ten days, the Sludge Control System removed the sludge, recovered the valuable hydrocarbons – and with only 6 days production down-time. The P43® installation can remain in situ on a sale or rental basis for future two day ON LINE sludge re-suspension operations.
Just look at how simply and quickly the P43® system deals with a tank de-sludging problem. This example is based on an actual case of 70,000 cubic metre tank in which sludge had built up over a period of months. In spite of regular agitation with side-entry mixers, the tank contained over 1000 cubic metres of sludge.
