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US 12,753,373 B2Granted
System and method for impurity removal from cargo tanks of vessels that store and transport hydrocarbons
AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.
InventorsAdam James Dassey, Manoj Ramachandran, Shaik Mohammed Mushtaq, Thomas Peter Hoelen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process to remove impurities from a surface of a cargo tank of a vessel used to transport liquid hydrocarbons includes using an active chemical solution to dissolve at least a portion of the impurities or the matrix in which they are embedded deposited on the surface of the cargo tank. The process also includes allowing the active chemical solution to subsequently remove embedded impurities from the surface.
Claims14
A process to remove impurities from a surface of a cargo tank of a vessel used to store and transport liquid hydrocarbons, the process comprising:
- installing one or more chemical resistant inflatable baffles in a void of the cargo tank and inflating the one or more baffles to displace a majority of an empty space of the cargo tank;
- filling a remaining space between the one or more baffles and the surface of the cargo tank with an active chemical solution;
- contacting the active chemical solution with the surface to dissolve at least a portion of the impurities or a matrix in which they are embedded or deposited on the surface of the cargo tank;
- and
- allowing the active chemical solution to subsequently remove embedded impurities from the surface.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.