Crude oil storage tank cleaning checklist

Cleaning crude oil storage tanks and performing hydro testing are routine tasks for refineries, and they require the use of temporary equipment ranging from Baker Tanks and Mix Tanks to high-pressure pumps and filters. The following tips can help maintenance managers and environmental managers streamline the process to save time and money.

1. Experience counts

Time is a valuable resource, especially when it comes to refinery operations. Working with a temporary equipment provider shouldn't have to be a time-consuming process. It's important to partner with a provider who understands your facility, and has experience in anticipating the equipment, pressures, and flows required for your specific needs. This not only saves time during job walks and purchasing, but also ensures that your storage tank can quickly get back into the production process. An experienced vendor will know the best location to bring in the equipment and how to situate it on site for optimal operation.

2. Have a backup plan in place 

Crude oil storage tank cleaning may be routine, but that doesn’t mean the unexpected can’t or won’t happen. A tank may have more sludge than anticipated, or the sludge may come out faster than expected, which means you need more tanks now. Or the storage tank could be full of extra-heavy sludge that requires the use of mix tanks.

A vendor with a nearby branch and a robust equipment inventory is best prepared to deliver the number, size and types of tanks you need within a matter of hours.

Some issues require engineering expertise in addition to equipment. Suppose you need particulate filtration to grab solids or chunks of sludge that are flowing from the tank, or a filtration system to remove benzene from the discharged water. A partner with in-house engineers can design a filtration system that will get the job done properly the first time and help you avoid fines for violating environmental regulations.

3. Consider vapor scrubbing

In some European countries, refineries are required to clean the vapors that come off their storage tanks during maintenance and service. Vapor scrubbing is an engineered solution that requires specialized equipment and expertise — for example, the scrubber has to be designed to handle the necessary air flow and burn rate for your system. Not many vendors perform vapor scrubbing, so plan in advance. United Rentals is one of few vendors that offer the equipment and in-house engineering to assist with both tank cleaning and vapor scrubbing.

4. Vendor consolidation

Managers often find themselves hiring two, three or even four different vendors to get the tanks, high-pressure pumps, filtration solutions and vapor scrubbing their projects require. That means multiple contracts, multiple job walks and multiple points of contact.

Finding one vendor who can service all your project’s needs creates efficiencies that save time. In addition, grouping more of your equipment spend under one vendor, potentially at a national contract rate, can save a significant amount of money.

Using the same partner across projects, including tank turnarounds, plant turnarounds and emergency shutdowns, makes even more sense.

Successful turnarounds require knowledge and experience and you should always consult with an expert regarding the specific circumstances, applicable rules and regulations related to your site and to your situation.