FPSO owner/operators aimed to enhance team productivity and improve the efficiency of their continuous tank cleaning needs. They had been relying on the outdated bucket and winch approach for tank sludge removal and cleaning, restricting them to filling only 3 tanks with 2 crews and 2 winches during an entire day shift. This not only incurred high costs due to operational downtime but also involved labour-intensive manual work in hazardous environments.
CASE STUDY
FPSO Tank Cleaning
Floating Production Storage & Offloading
The Challenge
Our Solution
SupaVac, the chosen Solution for FPSO Tank Cleaning, supplied 3 x SV60-V2 units configured with vent-to-atmosphere.
These SV60-V2 pumps, featuring a reduced footprint, were lowered 30 meters into the tank through tight access hatches. They effectively pumped solids upward over 30 meters to the top deck, resulting in significantly improved transfer efficiencies. The implementation of a vertical hosing setup not only markedly reduced downtime and manpower requirements but also minimised associated Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) risks .
An online training session facilitated by the SupaVac engineering and sales team provided the customer with comprehensive knowledge about the SupaVac units. This training covered the intricacies of pumping sludge from various tank areas, showcasing the flexibility and enhanced safety features of the LPD adjustable discharge pressure.
The Result
SupaVac units demonstrated a massive improvement over the traditional FPSO Operators’ sludge removal method. The team achieved a clean-out rate of 7-10 tanks per day per crew. Feedback from the customer confirmed that the deployment of these SV60-V2 SupaVac units substantially decreased the timeframe for sludge removal, now necessitating only half the manpower compared to previous operations.
- 50% reduction in onsite personnel requirements
- Remarkable 650% acceleration in tank cleaning
