Major oil rig companies implement tank cleaning best practices
Companies under contract with major oil companies work with Alfa Laval to improve their tank cleaning best-managed practices. Each company had similar issues they needed to address—minimizing or eliminating confined space entry, minimizing waste disposal, reducing down time and maximizing safety. In addition, each rig has specific space and weight constraints. The common manual cleaning method requires too much time, does not effectively clean the entire tank and requires an unacceptable amount of confined space entry.
Alfa Laval engineers and local distributors work with the service company teams to develop optimal placement and pressure and flow configurations based on tanks drawings and pump curves.
The Alfa Laval GJ 8 and Alfa Laval GJ 4 are the primary devices used both in the full 360° and 180° directional models to provide a 40’-55’ cleaning radius while also being light enough to easily move from tank to tank. The Alfa Laval GJ 8 is typically configured with dual nozzles and large stators, using 80 GPM, 80 - 150 PSI, for an 11-12 minute cycle time. The Alfa Laval GJ 4 was typically configured at 120-150 GPM, 80-150 PSI and 22-24 minute cycle times. The flexible operating range of the Gamajet product line allows the use of existing pumps which help achieve cost and weight budgets. The devices were also able to use produced water or brine for cleaning.
Results
The oil rig companies report the Alfa Laval Gamajet devices continue to exceed expectations by significantly reducing tank cleaning time and required labor, while providing more complete cleaning and virtually eliminating confined space entry.
