A shipowner with a fleet of tankers transporting oil and its derivatives, LNG and butane, was facing a specific maintenance challenge. The tanks, decks and bilges of the tanker fleet required special maintenance to be carried out regularly after each transport of oil, fuel and derivatives. Oil and fuel are recognized as particularly toxic and dangerous substances. Therefore, it is advisable to take far-reaching precautions regarding the cleaning of these vessels by using specific products and adapted methods. First of all, before starting any cleaning or maintenance operation, it is necessary to carry out degassing. Only then, other steps can be carried out such as mastering the pumping system, waste treatment, and cleaning high-pressure tanks.
A second challenge is that in the marine and oil & gas industries, cleaning and maintenance jobs take place in atmospheres that are potentially explosive. This means that any equipment used must be ATEX approved. ATEX is short for “Atmospheres Explosibles”. The ATEX Directive is a set of European Union regulations designed to ensure the safety of products being used in a potentially explosive atmosphere. An explosive atmosphere is defined as a mixture of flammable substances (gases, vapors, mists or dusts) with air, under atmospheric conditions capable of causing a hazardous explosion if ignited.
Considering the hazardous environment on board the tankers, the shipowner went in search of fully ATEX-approved high-pressure cleaning equipment. After researching various alternatives, he asked for a demonstration of the Graco Hydra-Clean high-pressure pneumatic cleaning system.
Hydra-Clean is a quick, easy and efficient method to clean decks, bilges and tanks contaminated with oil. It can be used by any vessel that has an air compressor. However, it is specifically focused on vessels with an ATEX zone, as Hydra-Clean is ATEX-approved. This means that it eliminates the risk from sparking, making it ideal for use in explosion sensitive environments, such as a ship’s hold if it is carrying chemicals, oil or other highly explosive materials.
Hydra-Clean provides a pressurized water jet from 70 to 300 bar. The most common Hydra-Clean model used for cleaning high-pressure tanks is the 30:1 cart-mounted unit. The cleaning chemical is injected into the washing water utilizing a dosage kit added to the washing water pump’s suction side, thus eliminating the need for a dosage pump.
The cleaning chemical is sprayed directly onto the tank bulkheads with a long lance, which the operator can direct all around the tank. The cleaning chemical is left on the tank walls for 20-40 minutes. The tank is then washed by hot water with the Hydra-Clean. The unit can handle hot water up to 85˚C without any problems. The process is repeated where necessary until the tank is clean.
Deck cleaning with Hydra-Clean is fast and efficient as two guns can be run off one unit and operated by two operators at the same time. Bilge and engine room cleaning is easy as Hydra-Clean is cart-mounted and is easy to maneuver anywhere on board.
The shipowner was extremely impressed with the performance of Hydra-Clean during the demonstration and has since equipped all his vessels with a unit.
