Idrabel Italia - Tank Cleaning Technology

Idrabel Italia S.r.L. focuses its activities mainly on the oil industry and provides services directed to minimizing waste contamination, preserving the environment and recovery of valuable fractions of oil waste sediment sludge. Idrabel Italia offers a range of solution for crude oil, fuel oil and slop oil tank cleaning.

Our consolidated experience of over ten years has allowed improving and optimizing our Tank Cleaning Technology, procedures and know how in setting up the BioRecOil™ Process (Biological Recovery Oil) which differs from the other systems. It aims towards maximization of resalable oil recovery (usually over 90%) from the oil tank bottom sludge and therefore minimizing the volume of the residual bottom sludge to be disposed of.

BIORECOIL™ PROCESS - TANK CLEANING AND OIL RECOVERY SOLUTION

The automated system is based on the hydro-mechanical action of rotating devices which are installed into the oil tank shell through the manholes that are connected to powerful pumps installed on site, and on the action of biological surface active agent compounds (biosurfactants) delivered within the tank.

The BioRecOil™ Process can be applied without emptying the tank and within a safer environment without carrying out operations on the top of the roof, but from the tank basin and with a 'no entry' fashion during the whole oil recovery process. The work is carried out using ATEX certified equipments suitable for hazardous environments and an environmentally-friendly technology with continuous monitoring of performance and results in qualitative and quantitative terms.

BIOLOGICAL RECOVERY OIL ADVANTAGES

The main operation advantages of BioRecOil™ Process are:

• The downtime of the tank is reduced
• More than the 90% of hydrocarbons is recovered
• On site recovery of the usable or workable hydrocarbons present in the sludge; i.e. those with specifications which are compatible with the Company's specifications
• Significant reduction of the quantities of sludge to be disposed of at the landfill or to be made inert; The waste volume to be disposed to landfill is reduced to less than 10% of the original volume
• No use of secondary tanks
• No works on the tank roof
• Reduction of the global tank cleaning and sludge disposal costs
• High environmental compatibility
• Greater safety of tank cleaning operations compared to other process, as the operations are mainly carried out externally (from the tank basin not from the roof)
• Negligible environmental impact both at a visual level and in relation to atmospheric emissions and contamination of the area
• Use of natural products with a biosurfactant of biotechnological origin

BioRecOil™ Process has been applied in over one hundred large tanks of crude, fuel, slop oil in further important European and worldwide Oil Companies. They consider our process ideal for solving their tank cleaning problems.

SLUDGE MAPPING

Sludge mapping, thermographic and manual measurements are initially carried out on each tank to assess sludge amounts and distribution profile within the tank.

Sludge samples are collected to determine its characteristics together with the lab simulations to enable identifying the optimum tank cleaning strategy to be carried out as well as to forecast the amounts of recoverable hydrocarbons and sludge residuals.

A specific software displays 3D sludge distribution in the tank giving full indication of its quantity/quality and recoverable oil and residues quantities.

TANK CLEANING AND DEGASSING

During the tank activities, emissions and hydrocarbons spills represent a critical aspect with negative environmental impacts and safety problems.

Idrabel Italia S.r.L. has developed activities for tank degassing, through an application of a mobile gas washing column. The additive used is “LECS”, which is a specific biotechnological product. The application allow the elimination of VOC emissions and reduction of explosion risks.

VOC CONTROL™ SYSTEM

Idrabel Italia S.r.L. has also pioneered a VOC Control™ System which has been specifically designed for floating roof storage tank seeking to minimize and rather eliminating VOC emissions, odours and explosion risks using aeration/nebulization of specific biotechnological (enzymatic) product delivered on site of emission.