AEKS is a Croatian service company active throughout Europe with extensive experience in cleaning storage tanks used for storing crude oil, oil derivatives, process water and similar substances. Over the years, it has developed expertise and chosen technologies that have enabled it to remove, in total, more than 80,000 m3 of material.
Always attentive to the most advanced technologies, AEKS has recently chosen Gerotto’s no-man-entry solutions to ensure even more safety for operators and optimise site times. The company, in fact, has included Gerotto’s tank cleaning system in its fleet, equipped with the two 10-foot containers solution. Thanks to this set-up, one container is dedicated to the power unit that powers the entire system, while the second container houses the Atex Zone 1-certified control room with the workstation to manoeuvre the robot thanks to explosion-proof screens and actuators. The remotely controlled – and fully hydronic – robot is Gerotto’s ATEX Zone 0 certified Lombrico S model. This ROV is a compact machine capable of entering a 600 [mm] manhole and removing material thanks to a non-sparking metal auger, high-pressure nozzles to break up the material and a suction hose connected to an external vacuum truck.
«At AEKS – comments the Company – we believe that safety, efficiency, and productivity should go hand in hand. Our no-man entry robotic cleaning system developed by Gerotto is transforming industrial cleaning by eliminating the need for personnel to enter confined spaces, significantly reducing the risk of accidents. Additionally, the system requires less manpower to clean tanks and other confined space areas, while still delivering enhanced precision and consistency. This means companies can minimise downtime, improve operational safety, and cut labour costs—all without sacrificing quality».
AEKS was commissioned in 2024 to clean a tank – with a fixed roof – owned by INA, a company that was founded in 1964 and is now a major player in the European oil and gas industry. The tank contained crude oil, deposited over about ten years, which left about 1.5 metres of material on the bottom to be removed. A large amount of mercury was detected inside. Before the robot could enter, the sediment level had to be lowered by a dilution process using water and suction that lasted about four weeks.
In approximately one week, 40/50 tonnes of material was removed daily. This was achieved by allowing the entire staff to work in complete safety, without having to enter the tanker and managing all operations from the Control Room. Compared to the use of manpower, apart from the obvious inherent risk of working within an explosive gas saturated environment, it would have taken at least 2 weeks to remove all the sediment. Once the suction operations with the robot were completed, Aeks subsequently cleaned the tank with chemical solvents to prepare it to receive more material.
Highlights:
- – 40/50 tonnes per day
- – 1 week of work for a team of only 5 people.
- – Safety for the operators.
- – Possibility of having video documentation of cleaning operations with the robot.
- – Halving the duration of cleaning operations.
For more information visit www.gerotto.it
