Floating facility for recovery of oily residues generated during tank washing in tanker ships

Abstract

 The invention provides a floating facility 1 to recover oily residues which are generated during tanker washing in tanker ships, and by thorough cleaning of the residues and enhanced homogeneity and of the mixtures to ensures high environmental safety of the process and a maximum recovery of useful products. The facility comprises a rectifying column 5 for breaking up the oily residues into fractions, located in a process chamber 4. The facility 1 is provided with accumulating tanks 11,12,13,14,15 for lighter fractions, diesel oil and fuel oil, which are arranged in parallel and connected on one side with the column 5 and on the other side with a pressure drop regulator 8. The setting tanks 2 of the facility are provided with oily water separators 3.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to ship building and, in particular, to a floating facility for recovery of oily residues which are generated in the process of tank washing in tanker ships.

[0002] Prior art floating facilities for recovery of oily residues generated during tank washing in tanker ships comprised setting tanks; a process chamber; vacuum pump connected with a pressure drop regulator, fuel tank and a fuel mixture stabilizing system, which includes a homogenizing disperser and a fuel stabilizing tank connected to the fuel tank of the facility, the process chamber being connected with the settling tanks via a disintegrator and an inert gas generator.

[0003] The disadvantage of the above prior art is that the oily residues arriving from the process chamber to the homogenizing disperser do not have regular properties or composition, which complicates the operation of the fuel mixture stabilizing system, and in that the oil content of residues arriving from the settling tanks at purification facilities is too high.

[0004] The object of the invention is to provide a floating facility for recovery of oily residues generated during tank washing in taker ships which will ensure a high environmental safety degree and a maximum recovery of oily residues.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention there is provided a floating facility for recovery of oily residues, for cleaning the products generated during tank washing of tanker ships, the facility comprising:

settling tanks;

a process chamber connected to the settling tanks via a disintegrator and inert gas generator,

a rectifying column for breaking up the oily residues into fractions;

a rectifying column for breaking up the oily residues into fractions;

accumulating tanks for lighter oil fractions, diesel oil and fuel oil;

a pump connected to a pressure drop regulator;

a fuel tank; and

a fuel mixture stabilizing system, which includes a homogenizing disperser and a fuel mixture stabilizing tank connected to the fuel tank.

[0006] The provision of the rectifying column for breaking up oily residues into fractions, which is located in the process chamber, and of diesel and fuel oil accumulation tanks, which are arranged in parallel and connected on one side with the column, and on the other side with the pressure drop regulator, makes it possible to supply the homogenizing disperser with oily products having regular properties and composition (diesel oil or fuel oil), which simplifies the operation of the fuel mixture stabilizing system.

[0007] The provision of settling tanks with oily water separators makes it possible to discharge to purification facilities water containing only a minimum amount of oily residues. This, as well as the provision of accumulating tanks for light fractions, diesel oil and fuel oil, which are connected with the rectifying column, makes it possible to achieve a higher purification degree and environmental safety of the floating facility.

[0008] A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a schematic representation of the floating facility and a flow chart of the oil residues recovery process.

[0009] Referring to the drawing the floating facility 1 comprises settling tanks 2 provided with oily water separators 3; a process chamber 4; a rectifying column 5 to break up oily residues into fractions; fuel tank 6, vacuum pump 7, pressure drop regulator 8, disintegrator 9, inert gas generator 10, light fractions accumulating tank 11, 12 and 13 for petrol, kerosene and benzene respectively, accumulating tank 14 for diesel oil, accumulating tank 15 for fuel oil; a fuel mixture stabilizing system including a homogenizing disperser 16, fuel mixture stabilizing tank 17, microprocessor 18, laser apparatus 19, infrared spectrum sensor 20, electron viscometer 21, homogenized mixture flash point analyzer 22, fuel tanks 23 and ballast water and oily residues accumulating tank 24.

[0010] The settling tanks 2 communicate with the process chamber 4 via separators 3 wherein the rectifying column 5 is located connected with accumulating tanks 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. The petrol accumulating tank 11 is connected with settling tanks 2. The vacuum pump 7 is connected on one side with fuel tank 6, and on the other side with diesel and fuel oil accumulating tanks 14 and 15 via the pressure drop regulator. The diesel and fuel oil accumlating tanks 14,15 are arranged in parallel. The vacuum pump 7 is also connected with homogenizing disperser 16, and, via fuel mixture stabilizing tank 17, with fuel tanks 23 of the floating facility 1. The homogenizing disperser 16 is connected with the pressure drop regulator 8 via the infrared spectrum sensor 20 and microprocessor 18. The homogenizing disperser 16 is connected via electron viscometer 21 and homogenized mixture flash point analyzer 22 with the microprocessor 18 and laser apparatus 19. The microprocessor 18 is provided with a feedback path with the homogenizing disperser 16.

[0011] The process chamber 4 is connected, via disintegrator 9 and inert gas generator 10, with settling tanks 2 and the floating facility. The ballast water and oil residues accumulating tank 24 is connected on one side with the process chamber 4 and settling tanks 2, and on the other side with purification facilities 1 for recovery of oily residues as described below.

[0012] The facility 1 receives, from tanker ships, oil cargo residues generated during washing of their tanks. These residues are left to clarify in the settling tanks 2 and separated by means of separators 3 into water and oily residues. The water is conveyed to the accumulation tank 24, and the oil residues to the process chamber 4, wherefrom, after preheating, they are conveyed to the rectifying column 5. In the rectifying column 5 the oily residues are broken up into fractions: petrol, kerosene, benzene, diesel oil and fuel oil. The lighter fractions - petrol, kerosene and benzene are conveyed to the accumulation tanks 11, 12 and 13 respectively, and the heavier ones: diesel oil and fuel oil to the accumulating tanks 14 and 15.

[0013] Some part of oil sludge, formed in the process chamber 4, is directed to the inert gas generator nozzle 10 via disintegrator 9 which changes the chemical and physical properties of the oil sludge transforming it into a finely dispersed liquid multiphase system, the remainder to the oil sludge being conveyed from the process chamber 4 to the accumulating tank 24.

[0014] The petrol from accumulating tank 11 arrives to washing machines, which perform washing and stripping operations in the settling tanks 2. The washing and stripping of the settling tanks 2 is carried out in an atmosphere of inert gas produced by the inert gas generator 10.

[0015] The diesel oil or fuel oil are conveyed from the accumulating tanks 14 and 15 by means of the vacuum pump 7 via the pressure drop regulator 8 to the homogenizing disperser 16.

[0016] During the fuel stabilizing system operation the dispersion degree, viscosity and flash point of the homogenized mixture are monitored constantly.

[0017] The signals from the infrared spectrum sensor 20, monitoring the dispersion degree of the homogenizated mixture; from the election viscometer 21, monitoring viscosity; and from the flash point analyser 22, arrive at the microprocessor 18, controlling, by means of the pressure drop regulator 8, the proportion of diesel (fuel) oil and of fuel from tank 6 arriving to be homogenized. At the same time, the microprocessor 18 controls the operating mode of the homogenizing disperser 16, which ensures the assigned guaranteed parameters of the output mixture.

[0018] When the mixture contains synthetic compounds, the homogenized mixture in the fuel mixture stabilizing tank 17, on a signal generated by the microprocessor 18, is subject to electronic ray treatment by laser apparatus 19. The stabilized mixture from the tank 17 is conveyed to the fuel tanks 23 of the floating facility 1. The ballast water and oily residues from the accumulating tank 24 are discharged to a ship or shore treatment facility.

Claims

1. A floating facility (1) for recovery of oily residues, for cleaning the products generated during tank washing of tanker ships the facility comprising: settling tanks (2);

a process chamber (4) connected to the settling tanks via a disintegrator (9) and inert gas generator (10);

a rectifying column (5) for breaking up the oily residues into fractions;

accumulating tanks (11,12,13,14,15) for lighter oil fractions, diesel oil and fuel oil;

a pump connected to a pressure drop regulator (8);

a fuel tank (2); and

a fuel mixture stabilizing system, which includes a homogenizing disperser (16) and a fuel mixture stabilizing tank (17) connected to the fuel tank (23).

2. The floating facility (1) for recovery of oily residues as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rectifying column (5) is located in the process chamber (4).

3. A floating facility (1) for recovery of oily residues as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the settling tanks (2) are provided with oily water separators (3).

4. A floating facility (1) for recovery of oily residues as claimed in any of preceding claims, wherein the accumulating tanks (14,15) for diesel oil and fuel oil are arranged in parallel and connected to on one side with the rectifying column (5), and on the other side with a pressure drop regulator (8).

Drawing