Crude Oil Tank Cleaning Procedure

Process, Equipment and Information on general tank cleaning practices.

1. It is in the best interest to recover as much oil as possible without significant solids contamination. This oil can be economically processed as crude unit feed rather than as a slop stream which is usually a refinery bottleneck
2. The crude remaining in the tank is diluted with an available hydrocarbon like diesel, kerosene, or jet fuel and is pumped off until analysis shows that the crude available above the sludge is minimized. This is done in a bath process, and permits maximum economic oil recovery.
3. The next step is to introduce water and JPX into the tank to wash the sludge and float the dispersed oil to the surface for recovery. In order to contact the sludge with wash mix, the sludge must be agitated to facilitate wash penetration. This is accomplished in various ways like: side entry mixers, butter worth type mixers, and rotary nozzles inside man ways or the roof ports. Many different types of rotating nozzles are available to agitate the sludge and allow was mix contact. the number and location of the nozzles as well as flow rates would depend on the tanks access port number and location.
4. The wash sludge mix is pumped from the tank and decanted to recover the oil and settle the sludge
5. If sour odors are present, then an additized version of JPX, JPX-E, can be utilized to eliminate the problem.

Comparison of oily sand cleaned with 4% of JPX

Competitor on Left, JPX on Right

• Pump at flow rate based on nozzles specifications and number
• Method of heating: Steam via exchanger
• Time for de-emulsification: hours
• Disposal: If Refinery has a delayed coker, water and dirt emulsion can be disposed of as quench water to coke drum

Products dosage and application:

1.     Quantity:  2% to 5% JPX in the volume of water utilized.

2.     Dilution ratio: ~25-1 with water.  Do not use sea-water.  Salt will reduce effectiveness of cleaner.

3.     Temperature of injection: Product is effective at room temperature, but it will be increasingly effective at higher temperatures up to 160 F.

4.     Application through spray nozzles: Premix the JPX with water before use.

5.     Removal of Benzene, LEL and H2S: JPX will remove benzene and reduce LEL.  Consider application of JPX-E for sour materials.

For more information or to get a quote please visit our JPX Refinery Decontamination Cleaner page.

How to Clean Fin-Fans while Online and its Benefits

By working at night, alternating fans and utilizing JPX-F from Jayne Products, a heavy duty cleaner, our industrial cleaning customers use a foaming procedure which cleans the fins while the unit continues to run. They have experienced as much as 40-degree improvement but the norm seems to be 25-30 F. The procedure uses a very small amount of liquid and produces copious amounts of foam.

Brief Outline of Procedure

1. Turn off and tag out fin fan motor
2. Block in fin fan inlets, and let cool.
3. Foam each fan shroud enclosure from above and below if possible. Pay particular attention to directing foam to the corners of the shroud to cover fin fan area evenly.
4. Use approximately 25 gallons per shroud. Wait 5-10 minutes then rinse with water spray from above.

Benefits of Online Fin-Fan Cleaning with JPX-F

• Cleaning of the exteriors will not require entry into the shrouds, no need for entry permits.
• No damage to tubes by personnel entering shrouds and walking on aluminum tubes
• No damage by improper use of high-pressure water, which will bend the aluminum fins.
• This system does a deep cleaning of the interiors of the tube banks that cannot be done using hydro-blasting equipment.

To see more information, or get a quote please visit our JPX-F Fin Fan Cleaning page.