Oil Tank Sludge Cleaning with Heated Circulation and Cyclone Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oil tank cleaning devices require manual intervention, posing safety risks and failing to effectively separate and recycle oil sludge, leading to increased sludge amounts and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
An oil tank cleaning device comprising a separation equipment with a tank, cyclones, pressurizing pumps, and a pipeline module, which allows for automated removal and separation of oil sludge without human entry, using a carrier fluid to dissolve and remove sludge, and recycling the clarified liquid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual intervention is used to remove oil sludge, then cleaning can be performed, but safety risks increase due to hypoxia in sealed tanks
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses automated machinery with pumps, heaters, and separation equipment to clean oil tanks without human intervention. The equipment performs self-service functions including circulating carrier fluid, heating sludge, separating oil from sludge, and recycling clarified liquid, eliminating the need for workers to enter hazardous sealed tanks
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical cleaning operations are replaced with an automated mechanical system comprising pumps, heaters, separation equipment, and control systems. The mechanical system performs all cleaning functions remotely, substituting human labor with automated machinery that operates safely outside the sealed tank environment
2Loss of substance
If conventional machinery equipment is used to remove oil sludge, then cleaning can be performed, but separation and recycling of oil sludge is ineffective, leading to increased sludge amounts
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system is divided into distinct functional segments: a circulation system for carrier fluid, a heating system for sludge treatment, a separation system for oil-sludge separation, and a recycling system for clarified liquid. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function effectively, achieving thorough separation and recycling while managing overall system complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes physical parameters of the oil sludge by heating it to reduce viscosity and facilitate separation. The heater increases temperature to transform the sludge from a high-viscosity state to a more fluid state, enabling effective separation and recycling, thereby reducing overall sludge accumulation
3Productivity
If heating is applied to dissolve oil sludge, then removal efficiency improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier fluid circulation operates continuously, repeatedly passing through the heated zone and the oil tank to dissolve and remove sludge. This continuous circulation maximizes the utilization of heating energy by repeatedly exposing sludge to the heated carrier fluid, improving cleaning efficiency while optimizing energy consumption through sustained useful action
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device enables safe, efficient, and automated removal of oil sludge from oil tanks, effectively separating and recycling the treated liquid, thereby reducing environmental impact and increasing revenue through resource recovery.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of cyclones (12), wherein an interior of the tank (11) is divided by a plurality of partitioning boards (113) into a crude liquid chamber (S1) and a plurality of treatment liquid chambers (S2)
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of pressurizing pumps (13), wherein the plurality of pressurizing pumps (13) are used to deliver a liquid from one location to another
Implementation Method 3
The laundry detergent carrier flows through the delivery pipe 94a, the non-return valve 97a, and the heater 98 and is heated to about 60° C. to dissolve the oil sludge in the to-be-treated oil tank 92 and to reduce the viscosity of the oil sludge
Data Source
AI summary
An oil tank cleaning device is used to solve the problem of poor effect of conventional cleaning operation of an oil tank. The oil tank cleaning device includes a separation equipment, a temporary storage tank, a collecting tank, a pipeline unit, and a plurality of control valves. A first pump sucks air out of the temporary storage tank, such that the temporary storage tank is in a negative pressure state. The collecting tank receives a fluid outputted from the temporary storage tank. The pipeline unit includes a plurality of pipes for intercommunicating with an oil supply tank, a to-be-treated oil tank, the temporary storage tank, the separation equipment, and the collecting tank. Each of the plurality of pipes includes at least one of the plurality of control valves. Each control valve is configured to control flow of a liquid in the control valve.