Transportation of refinery solids waste
AssigneeThe Maitland Company
InventorRobert M. RUMPH
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for disposing of solid refinery waste is disclosed. The method includes removing solid waste constituents from inside a refinery tank using excavating machinery, delumping the solid waste constituents, and conveying the delumped solid waste constituents into a mobile tank. The method further includes transporting the delumped solid waste constituents in the mobile tank to a burning facility, adding at least one diluent, mixing, and pumping from the mobile tank a flowable mixture of refinery waste and the at least one diluent at the burning facility.
Claims28
A method for disposing of solid refinery waste, the method comprising:
- removing solid waste constituents from inside a refinery tank using excavating machinery;
- delumping the solid waste constituents;
- conveying the delumped solid waste constituents into a mobile tank;
- maintaining a head space between a top level of the delumped solid waste constituents in the mobile tank and a top wall of the mobile tank;
- transporting the delumped solid waste constituents in the mobile tank to a burning facility;
- adding at least one diluent to the head space;
- mixing the at least one diluent with the delumped solid waste constituents using an agitator;
- and
- pumping from the mobile tank a flowable mixture of refinery waste and the at least one diluent at the burning facility.
A method for disposing of solid refinery waste at a burning facility, the method comprising:
- at a refinery, receiving a load of solid refinery waste in a mobile tank having at least one compartment with sloped floor walls;
- adding at least one diluent to a head space between a top of the load of solid refinery waste and a top of the mobile tank;
- inserting an agitator into at least one opening on top of the mobile tank;
- mixing the at least one diluent with the solid refinery waste using the agitator to cause solids to move downward along the sloped floor walls of the at least one compartment of the mobile tank;
- causing a substantially homogeneous flowable mixture of the at least one diluent and the solid refinery waste in the at least one compartment;
- and
- evacuating the flowable mixture from the at least one compartment via at least one fluid valve at the bottom of the at least one compartment.
A mixing apparatus for mixing refinery solid waste in a mobile tank having at least one compartment with sloped floor walls, the apparatus comprising:
- at least one agitator including an elongated shaft and at least one blade connected to the shaft;
- at least one external support configured for disposition adjacent a manhole opening in a top of the mobile tank, for supporting the at least one agitator when mixing the refinery solid waste in the mobile tank;
- and
- at least one actuator connectable to the external support and operable for lifting and lowering at least a portion of the at least one agitator in the mobile tank to enable blending of solid and liquid constituents in the mobile tank.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.