Robots convert sludge to power

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Power Engineering (Barrington)

OSTI ID:103663

Reimer, K P ^[1]; Siever, P ^[2]; Pratt, T H ^[3]

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1. Public Service Electric and Gas Co., Newark, NJ (United States)
2. Landry Service Co. Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
3. Burgoyne Inc., Marietta, GA (United States)

This article describes a new tank cleaning process, incorporating robotics and advanced phase-separation techniques which improves safety and reduces downtime, cleaning and waste disposal costs. Aging tank farms, repowering projects and environmental considerations are increasing the need for tank cleaning services at a time when waste disposal options are shrinking. Tank owners clean above-ground fuel storage tanks (AST) commonly to allow inspections and mechanical repairs, to eliminate downstream problems caused by fuel contamination, and to recover lost storage capacity and fuel trapped in sludge. In the past, cleaning as AST was a costly, labor-intensive task in which workers removed sludge manually for disposal. New technology has opened the door to faster, safer and more environmentally responsible AST cleaning. Now, tank owners can clean ASTs using advanced robotics, recovering and recycling a majority of the oil for power generation.

• OSTI ID: 103663
• Journal Information: Power Engineering (Barrington), Journal Name: Power Engineering (Barrington) Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 99; ISSN 0032-5961; ISSN POENAI
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
42 ENGINEERING
CLEANING
MATERIALS RECOVERY
PETROLEUM
RECYCLING
ROBOTS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SLUDGES
STORAGE FACILITIES
TANKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT