Crude oil storage tank cleaning, or commonly called Crude Oil Washing (COW), is mainly the process of cleaning the storage using the oil itself. Prior to strict environmental regulations, tankers were cleaned using jets that sprayed seawater inside the containers. Also, before ballast tanks were introduced in ship design, water had to be stored in order for the propeller to be properly immersed at sea.
Many regulations have been in effect after concerns were raised in the wastes produced in the cleaning process after every trip of tankers. Companies themselves have used these changes to their benefit, as it also decreases the oil that is thrown away and reused on their next trip. Many of these advancements will be discussed to understand how these processes changed in a few decades time.
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.
One of first methods used in cleansing was to pump heated seawater and were then sprayed to remove the layers of oil on the walls, and were then discharged from the ship. This resulted in great amounts of discharged petroleum into the sea and were highly concentrated in docks where these took place.
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.
Due to the pollution that was still being produced by the OILPOL adaption, a new process was introduced where the tanks were still cleaned using pressurized heated water, but instead of disposing the waste, it is first placed into a special slop tank. While the ship is on its return voyage, the oil, which is lighter than water, would eventually float on top. The water, which settled at the bottom, will be returned to the sea. This process is called the Load on Top.
The Load on Top was very successful that an approximate of 8 million tons of fuel per year was saved from being dumped into the sea. It also made significant savings for the companies that owned the ships as the oil that remained after removing the sea water was simply topped with fresh new crude oil.
The latest enhancement in the process of crude oil storage tank cleaning was introduced and was called the Crude Oil Washing, where the removal of sediments and layers from the walls were done by using only pressurized fuel. The removal of water from the whole process meant that there was practically no waste due to any mixtures with oil.
Many regulations have been in effect after concerns were raised in the wastes produced in the cleaning process after every trip of tankers. Companies themselves have used these changes to their benefit, as it also decreases the oil that is thrown away and reused on their next trip. Many of these advancements will be discussed to understand how these processes changed in a few decades time.
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.
One of first methods used in cleansing was to pump heated seawater and were then sprayed to remove the layers of oil on the walls, and were then discharged from the ship. This resulted in great amounts of discharged petroleum into the sea and were highly concentrated in docks where these took place.
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.
Due to the pollution that was still being produced by the OILPOL adaption, a new process was introduced where the tanks were still cleaned using pressurized heated water, but instead of disposing the waste, it is first placed into a special slop tank. While the ship is on its return voyage, the oil, which is lighter than water, would eventually float on top. The water, which settled at the bottom, will be returned to the sea. This process is called the Load on Top.
The Load on Top was very successful that an approximate of 8 million tons of fuel per year was saved from being dumped into the sea. It also made significant savings for the companies that owned the ships as the oil that remained after removing the sea water was simply topped with fresh new crude oil.
The latest enhancement in the process of crude oil storage tank cleaning was introduced and was called the Crude Oil Washing, where the removal of sediments and layers from the walls were done by using only pressurized fuel. The removal of water from the whole process meant that there was practically no waste due to any mixtures with oil.
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