Method for degassing a storage tank for liquid products containing volatile organic compounds, in particular petroleum products
AssigneeIdrabel Italia S.R.L.
InventorIvo Saverio Rancich
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Abstract
Method for degassing a storage tank for liquid products containing volatile organic compounds or VOC, in particular petroleum products, comprising a step a) of introducing an aqueous mixture comprising substances able to interact chemically and/or physically with the VOC in the gaseous state inside the tank, which is kept closed, so as to encourage them to pass from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase, and to remain in the liquid phase. Such introduction step being protracted so as to reduce the concentration of the VOC to a predetermined value functional to having an acceptable explosive limit.
Claims30
Method for degassing a storage tank for liquid products containing volatile organic compounds or VOC, in particular petroleum products, comprising a step a) of introducing inside the tank, which is kept closed, an aqueous mixture comprising substances able to interact chemically and/or physically with the VOC in the gaseous state so as to encourage them both to pass from the gaseous phase to the liquid phase and to remain in the liquid phase, said introduction step being protracted until the concentration of the VOC is reduced to a predetermined value functional to having an acceptable explosive limit for the purposes of a possible opening of the tank in safety for internal inspection.
Method according to one or more of the previous claims, wherein said aqueous mixture comprises one or more biosurfactants.
Method according to one or more of the claims from 2 to 5, wherein said surfactants and/or biosurfactants are present in said aqueous mixture with a percentage in weight of the total of 0.002% to 0.006%.
Method according to one or more of the previous claims, wherein said aqueous mixture comprises one or more chelating substances.
Method according to one or more of the previous claims, wherein the introduction of said aqueous mixture inside said tank is performed by means of one or more devices for generating pressurised jets inside said tank.
Method according to any of the previous claims, comprising a step c) of monitoring at least the concentration of the VOC and/or of the explosive limits of the gases present inside said tank.
Method according to one or more of the previous claims, comprising an step d) of extractiing the residual gases present in the tank at the end of said introduction step a).
Method according to one or more of the claims from 17 to 23, comprising a step f) of releasing the residual gases extracted from said tank in the atmosphere, the release occurring preferably in function of the concentration values measured in said monitoring step c).
Method according to one or more of the previous claims, wherein said introduction step a) is preceded by a step g) of treating of the bottom sludges present in said tank.
Plant for implementing the degassing method according to one or more of the previous claims.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.