ASPECTS REGARDING OF OIL SLUDGE CLEANING FROM CRUDE STORAGE TANKS USING ROBOTS

Abstract

One of the problems of the oil industry is the accumulation of sludge at the bottom of crude oil storage tanks. Oil sludge obtained from crude oil storage tanks is a semi-solid waste. It is actually a complex emulsion made up of numerous petroleum hydrocarbons, water and solid particles or mineral impurities from the rock. Oil sludge is generated during the storage of crude oil production, but also during the transportation, storage, and refining of crude oil. Through its nature - organic and inorganic, dark brown / black in color and semi-fluid physical state - it is a very dangerous waste, as it includes many poisonous substances, such as: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, xylene, benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, but also metals heavy. Therefore, oil sludge deposition is a dynamic, long-term, and ever-changing process. The authors, under the auspices of AOȘR and AGIR, present - through this scientific paper - a modern technology used for the successful cleaning of oil sludge from crude oil storage tanks and, obviously, it can be a recommendation for organizations in the oil industry

Keywords

• oil sludge
• tank
• manual cleaning
• mechanized cleaning
• automated cleaning
• robotic cleaning