Here at Re-Gen Robotics, our aim is to support tank owners charged with the responsibility of cleaning aboveground oil storage tanks. Previously such activities had to be carried out manually, subjecting cleaning operatives to the toxic and flammable hazards found inside a tank containing oil products. Nowadays as a result of our novel, yet proven, robotic technology, this is no longer necessary.
Such an approach represents a step-change in risk reduction, isolating the human from the hazard. Senior management continually urge those working on hazardous plants to put safety first, which is exactly what our technology enables operators to do. Onerous confined space entry processes can be avoided by letting the robot take the strain, instead of the human.
Our robots are Zone 0 (Class 1 Div1) Ex-certified, fully capable of safe operation with the most volatile products, such as gasoline, naphtha or light crude oils. At the other end of the spectrum, our robots are also capable of dealing with the heaviest, most viscous oils, such as fuel oil, removing such persistent sludges. Entering tanks via standard 24” / 600mm manways and equipped with forward and rearward facing lights and cameras, our robots navigate tanks containing roof legs, roof drains, sumps and coils effectively. The robot itself is controlled from a container-mounted control room, which together with the robot is demounted from our rig using our own Hiab crane. For these reasons, we pride ourselves on being able to begin sludge removal in only 4 hours on tanks containing light products.
Our second generation, family-owned business has engineering as part of its DNA. Our innovative approach to tank cleaning was borne out of a conviction that with some thought and ingenuity, tank cleaning ought to be able to be made safer. In doing so, we had an idea that it could probably be made faster and smarter too, which has also been possible.
Over the last 5 years, since our inception, our pursuit of an engineering solution to the challenge of removing sludge from tanks with only the remote involvement of human operators has been exciting. It has caused us to look into the technologies and materials applicable to the design of suction heads, hoses and tracks as we seek to improve both throughput and reliability. Our robots now have the flexibility to remove stubborn sludges using high pressure water, diluents and steam. Tank owners have set us challenges to demonstrate that we can operate in tanks lined with the newer and more fragile linings, which are less robust to mechanical damage, with our robots passing the tests that they were set with flying colours.
If you have a tank that needs cleaning, why not contact us? We think you’ll find that we can clean your tank, Safer, Faster and Smarter.