The process of crude oil storage tank cleaning, or what is commonly called as Crude Oil Washing (COW), is the procedure followed when cleaning this kind of storage using oil itself. Before strict regulations for environmental reasons became mandatory, jets that sprayed seawater was used in cleansing these containers. Also, prior to the introduction of ballast tanks, water had to be stored on the same place to properly immerse the ship for its propeller.
Overtime, multiple regulations were introduced to ensure proper disposal of waste from the process of cleansing the tanker after trips. Private institutions also found ways to take advantage of these changes by using readily available fluids and by lessening waste of their products, which equates to additional savings for the company. We will be covering the changes and improvements for the past decades that led to the regulations being followed today.
Thousands of tanker ships carry oil from rig platforms to refineries for processing every day. Thus, it is important to ensure the profitability of each delivery and to lower costs as much as possible. One easy way was to clean the tanks that were storing fuels regularly. If left unattended, the fuels will form a sticky layer on the walls that will not be transferred to the refinery and will be weight that the tanker would need to carry on its way back to the platform.
Early methods used in the removal of the layers of oil on the container walls involved the heating and spraying of seawater inside these tanks, and were then released overboard. This, unfortunately, also released the petroleum that was mixed in the process and were simply discharged without ensuring its safety.
The introduction of Oil Pollution Convention (OILPOL) in 1954 mandated that discharged wastes should only be done when beyond 50 miles from the nearest land. In cases where that specific land raised great concerns on irreparable environmental impact, the distance was extended for up to 100 miles.
This measure did nothing to reduce the pollutants discharged and was merely transferred to different areas. This paved the way for the next process which was called the Load on Top, which still used pressurized heated water, but stored the oil-water mixture instead of simply pumping it into the sea. The mix is stored in what is called a specialized slop tank that separates overtime the heavier water and the lighter oil while the vessel is on its way back for its next delivery. The water that settled below is then pumped back into the sea.
With the new process, an estimated 8 million tons of fuel per year had been prevented from being dumped into the sea. This also meant that the salvaged petroleum could be reused and mixed on a fresh batch of crude oil, thus, resulting in additional profits to the owner.
The crude oil storage tank cleaning process was once again improved by using pressurized crude oil and was sprayed onto the sediments sticking on the tank walls. This process, that eliminated the need for slop tanks, was named Crude Oil Washing. This resulted in a cleaning procedure that eliminated the possibility for waste water and only involved the fuels that were also being delivered.
Overtime, multiple regulations were introduced to ensure proper disposal of waste from the process of cleansing the tanker after trips. Private institutions also found ways to take advantage of these changes by using readily available fluids and by lessening waste of their products, which equates to additional savings for the company. We will be covering the changes and improvements for the past decades that led to the regulations being followed today.
Thousands of tanker ships carry oil from rig platforms to refineries for processing every day. Thus, it is important to ensure the profitability of each delivery and to lower costs as much as possible. One easy way was to clean the tanks that were storing fuels regularly. If left unattended, the fuels will form a sticky layer on the walls that will not be transferred to the refinery and will be weight that the tanker would need to carry on its way back to the platform.
Early methods used in the removal of the layers of oil on the container walls involved the heating and spraying of seawater inside these tanks, and were then released overboard. This, unfortunately, also released the petroleum that was mixed in the process and were simply discharged without ensuring its safety.
The introduction of Oil Pollution Convention (OILPOL) in 1954 mandated that discharged wastes should only be done when beyond 50 miles from the nearest land. In cases where that specific land raised great concerns on irreparable environmental impact, the distance was extended for up to 100 miles.
This measure did nothing to reduce the pollutants discharged and was merely transferred to different areas. This paved the way for the next process which was called the Load on Top, which still used pressurized heated water, but stored the oil-water mixture instead of simply pumping it into the sea. The mix is stored in what is called a specialized slop tank that separates overtime the heavier water and the lighter oil while the vessel is on its way back for its next delivery. The water that settled below is then pumped back into the sea.
With the new process, an estimated 8 million tons of fuel per year had been prevented from being dumped into the sea. This also meant that the salvaged petroleum could be reused and mixed on a fresh batch of crude oil, thus, resulting in additional profits to the owner.
The crude oil storage tank cleaning process was once again improved by using pressurized crude oil and was sprayed onto the sediments sticking on the tank walls. This process, that eliminated the need for slop tanks, was named Crude Oil Washing. This resulted in a cleaning procedure that eliminated the possibility for waste water and only involved the fuels that were also being delivered.
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