Fuel and fuel tank treatment

摘要

Liquid hydrocarbon storage tanks are cleaned by transferring the most contaminated lower fuel layer to an external vessel on a treatment truck where separation into a contaminants portion and a fuel portion occurs. The remnant fuel in the storage tank is cleaned by multiple passes through an external circuit on the truck. The fuel from the vessel is sometimes returned to the remnant fuel to be cleaned. The contaminants are discarded. The initial separation shortens the cleaning cycle. A flexible dip tube stiffened by a guide rod allows probing of the storage tank floor.

主权项

1. A method of cleaning a storage tank interior and the stored liquid hydrocarbon fuel therein, comprising the steps of:
first transferring a contaminated lower fuel layer from the storage tank to an external vessel, where the contaminated lower fuel layer is allowed to further separate by gravity into a lower contaminants portion and an upper fuel portion, while the contaminated lower fuel layer separates in the external vessel, treating remnant tank fuel remaining in the storage tank by multiple passes through an external fuel cleaning apparatus, said remnant tank fuel bypassing the external vessel while being treated, after completing treatment of the remnant tank fuel, treating the fuel portion of the external vessel by multiple passes through the external fuel cleaning apparatus, and discarding the contaminants portion.