Tank cleaning project completed in 1/2 the time, and 1/2 the cost of a virtually identical project completed by others.70% of the tank's sludge was removed prior to opening the tank to the atmosphere which reduced air emissions and personnel exposure.

THE CHALLENGE

A major Gulf Coast Refinery has two Cat Bottom Tanks used to provide settling time for carried over Cat Fines. Both tanks had in excess of 6 feet of solids build up, creating reduced settling time and potentially impacting product quality. Cleaning of the first tank by another contractor required 3 months at an approximate cost of $ 600,000.00 to complete. Schedule and budgetary constraints made this sort of performance on the second tank unacceptable.

THE SOLUTION

PSI designed an execution plan utilizing a specialized pumping system and robotic cannon for solids removal, coupled with a processing scheme employing two centrifuges to meet the customer's time constraints.

THE RESULTS

PSI removed in excess of 1500 tons of dewatered Cat Fines and completed the tank cleaning in only 45 days - including move in and move out. The majority of the solids were removed prior to opening the tank, and virtually all solids were removed prior to personnel entering the tank. This approach expedited the cleaning process, reduced air emissions, and drastically reduced the exposure of our personnel to potentially dangerous hydrocarbons.

THE ANALYSIS

By using PSI, the job was completed for $ 300,000.00 - approximately $ 300,000.00 less than the cost of the previous tank, and the tank was returned to service 1-1/2 months earlier. The job was completed within customer requirements, and with no safety or environmental incidents.

You can rely on PSI to complete your toughest tank cleaning projects in the safest, most cost effective, and environmentally sound manner. Back