Tank cleaning system using heated exhaust or engine water jacket liquid

Abstract

A cleaning system and method for tanks on a vessel is provided, wherein the vessel includes an engine using a keel cooler (closed loop) or ambient water (open loop) as a coolant, and wherein heated coolant is discharged from the engine through an engine water jacket or engine exhaust. The system comprises a diverter valve operatively disposed between the engine and the engine exhaust or engine water jacket, the diverter valve capable of redirecting the heated coolant from being discharged through the engine water jacket or engine exhaust. An auxiliary pump is fluidically connected between the sea cock and the diverter valve to replace the heated coolant redirected by the diverter valve with ambient water injected back into the exhaust or keel coolers. A reservoir is fluidically connected to the diverter valve and adapted to receive the heated coolant. A cleaning pump is fluidically connected to the reservoir and adapted to transfer heated coolant from the reservoir, and one or more nozzles are fluidically connected to the cleaning pump and adapted to spray the heated coolant onto interior surfaces of a tank. A scavenging pump is fluidically connected to the tank, and a waste tank is fluidically connected to the scavenging pump to store the waste.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.