Tank Cleaning Magazine spring 2017

SPRING 2017

Issue 1 Volume 4

Cleaning containers in Chile

Tailor-made solutions for ISO containers

Tackling a trio of troubles

Saving time and money with new jet cleaners

COMMENT Dear reader,

SPRING 2017 VOLUME 4 ISSUE 1 Woodcote Media Ltd Marshall House 124 Middleton Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 6RW, UK MANAGING DIRECTOR Peter Patterson Tel: +44 (0)20 8648 7082 peter@woodcotemedia.com EDITOR Liz Gyekye Tel: +44 (0)20 8687 4183 liz@woodcotemedia.com DEPUTY EDITOR Daryl Worthington Tel: +44 (0)208 687 4146 Daryl@woodcotemedia.com INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER Russell Priestley Tel: +44 20 8648 7092 russell@globaltankcleaning.com PRODUCTION Alison Balmer Tel: +44 (0)1673 876143 alisonbalmer@btconnect.com SUBSCRIPTION Contact: Lisa Lee Tel: +44 (0)20 8687 4160 Fax: +44 (0)20 8687 4130 marketing@woodcotemedia.com No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in any form by any mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or other means without the prior written consent of the publisher. Whilst the information and articles in Tank Cleaning are published in good faith and every effort is made to check accuracy, readers should verify facts and statements direct with official sources before acting on them as the publisher can accept no responsibility in this respect. Any opinions expressed in this magazine should not be construed as those of the publisher.

ISSN 2059-1357

Our relationship with technology has become more complex than ever before as it has infiltrated our everyday lives. Tank cleaning is no exception. Some may look upon tank cleaning as an industrial activity and not an industry connected to the digital world. However, this cannot be further from the truth.

In this edition of TCM, we feature articles on how the digital world is helping the sector to seize opportunities and better manage the challenges that they face. The IT world is putting power into the hands of tank cleaners. For instance, tank cleaning stations can now monitor data from washing programmes on a screen, due to certain software. Water flow, pressure temperature, pressure pulse detection and chemical consumption can all be monitored. Nevertheless, one must be watchful of the impact of automation on jobs in the future.

For the moment, tank cleaning jobs do not seem to be in short supply as the sector is growing.

Every day, more than 250,000 tonnes of foodstuffs are transported on Europe’s roads, railways and waterways as bulk solids, granules or liquids. Currently, around 800 stationary cleaning stations in Europe carry out an average of 30,000 food cleaning actions each day. As a consequence of the industry growing, cleaning standards are becoming more stringent.

For instance, the European and International Tank Cleaning Association (ENFIT), which works on developing and implementing European and international quality standards for cleaning and disinfecting food and chemical transport containers, is now offering kosher and halal certifications to its members.

In addition to this, last December, the European chemical and transport industry introduced a guidance document on the cleaning of dry bulk polymer transport tanks. In this issue, Carrington + Packing Europe’s Steve Ralph gives his views on why the sector needs this document.

Please feel free to get in touch with me at any time at liz@woodcotemedia.com if there’s a particular topic you would like to see covered in TCM for future editions.

Liz Gyekye Editor

@tankcleaningmag

Cleaning containers in Chile

Tailor-made solutions for ISO containers

Tackling a trio of troubles

Saving time and money with new jet cleaners

Tank Cleaning Magazine

Contents PAGE 2 News

Front cover courtesy of Quala

PAGE 17

Meeting VdF requirements Tank cleaning is an essential element in the food supply chain

PAGE 12

Interview with ITCO’s Reg Lee TCM catches up with ITCO’s president

PAGE 13

Best practice guidelines European chemical transport industry introduces new guidance document

PAGE 14

Issue 1 Volume 4

SPRING 2017

PAGE 20

Busy in Belgium Tank cleaning in the Port of Antwerp

PAGE 23

DVTI: Food glorious food A look at Germany’s trade association for professional certified tank cleaners

Cleaning containers in Chile Tailor-made solutions for worldwide ISO container freight transport

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TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 1

NEWS

ITCO Tank Container Village at transport logistic keeps on growing This year’s International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) Tank Container Village – organised as part of the transport logistic 2017 exhibition taking place in Munich, Germany, in May – is set to be the biggest one so far arranged by the association.

Comprising 60 exhibition stands and more than 65 ITCO members in total, the 2017 Village represents a 10% increase in size on 2015, which in turn was 15% larger than in 2013.

The Tank Container Village will be located in Hall B4 of the New Munich Trade Show Centre.

ITCO members exhibiting in the Village will be displaying a wide range of equipment and services, with most of the world’s leading tank container operators, leasing companies, manufacturers and component suppliers taking part.

In addition, there will be tank container surveyors and inspection companies, together with several wellknown tank cleaning and repair facilities. Health, safety, quality and environmental concerns are top priorities for ITCO members. Technical innovations and improved operational efficiency support those priorities, according to ITCO. The show’s organisers state that the growth in the size of the exhibition reflects the growing range of products and services that ITCO is

over the past year. These include the development and launch of a Tank Container “E-learning” course (launched at the end of 2016) and the recent publication of “Recommended Guidelines for Tracking Systems on Tank Containers”.

‘Excellent safety record’ Furthermore, ITCO is working on the publication of a revised and updated version of the ITCO ACC (Acceptable Container Condition) industry standard

The ITCO Tank Container Village will have 60 exhibition stands offering to its members – and the increasing membership of the organisation. ITCO will be showcasing several initiatives that it has been developing

document. According to ITCO, the purpose of ACC is to establish a basic minimum tank condition throughout the industry and

to assist in maintaining the “excellent safety record” of the tank container in operations worldwide.

It is designed for use where tank containers are transferred from the care and custody of one party to another, such as between owner, operator, lessee, shipper, depot and carrier, and to give clear guidelines to the contractor responsible for repairs.

Speaking about the ITCO Tank Container Village, Reg Lee, president of ITCO, said: “With 60 exhibition stands and over 65 members exhibiting, this year’s ITCO Tank Container Village at transport logistic will be the biggest so far.

The Tank Container Village has established itself as the most important global meeting place for tank container operators, lessors, manufacturers and service suppliers to meet their industry colleagues and discuss issues of common interest.” z

ITCO’s 2017 conference will be taking place in Munich, Germany

2

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

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NEWS

Hoyer produces 30,000th flexitank

The Powertex Asia Pacific subsidiary of Hoyer has manufactured its 30,000th flexitank in Malaysia.

For a number of years Hoyer has offered this mode of transport supplied from its own production plant to customers all over the world. The flexitanks are made from linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and are especially suitable for transporting liquids such as food products and harmless chemicals in quantities from 14m3 to 24m3.

The logistics group had already invested in a joint venture in Malaysia in 2010, and the site near Kuala Lumpur has been fully owned by Hoyer since 2014. The production facility has 23 employees in Southeast Asia who oversee quality control and manufacture 700-800 flexitanks of various sizes each month.

Eswaran Arunaselam, general manager of Powertex Asia Pacific, said: “We expect an even greater demand for flexitanks

Hoyer makes around 800 flexitanks every month in the next few years, and we are well equipped for it. The quality of our product is right, and we want to become a major player in this market.” z

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4

Depot for Mobile launches new app platform A new platform has been launched for apps specifically for use within tank container depots.

The demand for fast, realtime insights and processing of container depot operations is growing, according to the company. Depot for Mobile said it was providing a solution to the issue by making it possible to digitalise all workflows that are currently recorded on paper.

According to the company, data is available for all stakeholders in a “secure, reliable way”. This helps to bring “great efficiency and an opportunity for higher profits”, the company said.

In the app, which is an extension to Depot Software, data is entered a single time and then becomes available for all stakeholders. Data may then be used interdepartmental within the container depots.

The client or expeditor can also see up-to-date information at any time. z

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

NEWS

Self-cleaning rotary tank cleaner launched Alfa Laval has launched a rotary tank cleaning machine which, the company claims, reduces operating costs by 70% through reduced water and cleaning agent consumption.

The Alfa Laval TJ40G uses a high-impact jet stream to clean tough tank residues and minimise the risk of product contamination.

The machine’s hygienic self-cleaning construction ensures that the flow of the cleaning fluid reaches the exterior surfaces of the rotary jet head, as well as the critical interior components such as all bushings, bearings, and inner surfaces.

Its four-nozzle rotary jet head also cleans tanks 60% faster than static spray ball technology, which increases production uptime, a company statement maintained.

Alfa Laval said the 70% reduction in operating costs is implemented through the fast pace of the machine’s cleaning operation.

The TJ40G is capable of handling solids up to 1mm in the cleaning fluid in tank sizes 50-1000m³.

Alfa Laval’s rotary tank cleaning machines are designed with numerous features to ensure self-cleaning of the machine, such as directional flow from small jets in the hub that cleans the exterior of the machine.

A low-pressure loss of the machine provides increased cleaning efficiency compared with other tank cleaning machines running at the same inlet pressure, resulting in lower cleaning costs as the unit can run at comparatively lower pressure/flow. z

Alfa Laval’s TJ40G is a self-cleaning rotary tank cleaning machine

New trigger gun launched for commercial water-pressure washers Kärcher North America, a subsidiary of Alfred Karcher, is introducing the EASY!Force trigger gun for its line of commercial cold and hot water pressure washers. The new trigger gun uses the recoil force of the water spray to automatically hold the trigger down for the operator, eliminating sore hands after hours of use.

The yellow and black trigger is visible at the back of the handle. The recoil of the water spray presses the handle into

the ball of the hand, the company said in a statement. The trigger gun can be used in continuous operation without additional force and effort. A yellow safety lever in the handle prevents accidental operation of the trigger gun.

According to Kärcher, the new EASY!Lock connection system allows set-ups that are five times faster than existing systems. The company said a “simple” 360-degree turn provides a fully-threaded secure connection.

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According to the company, the EASY!Force valve consists of a ceramic ball with ceramic sealing seat that is resistant to any particles liable to cause potential damage. This gives it a lifetime five times longer than trigger guns with a conventional valve, the company stated.

Kärcher added that the trigger gun also features a mechanical safety switch to prevent accidental engagement for maximum safety without compromising its ease-of-use. z

Gröninger Cleaning Systems is the leading international supplier of specialised cleaning systems for tank trucks, ISO containers, railcars and IBCs. Since it was founded in 1947 Groninger has established a reputation for reliability and innovation. Its global customer base is contributing to major improvements in cleaning standards through the use of Gröninger technology.

groninger.eu

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 5

NEWS

Havila opens Samara operation in Russia

Havila, a privately-owned group of companies, has opened a new cleaning and repair depot for tank containers and tank trucks called EcoChemPlus-Togaliatti, in the Samara region of Russia.

The tank cleaning station was launched on 14 April, 2017.

However, its official opening will happen at the beginning of June.

EcoChemPlus-Togaliatti will become the second cleaning station in Russia which will join the European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations (EFTCO) via the East European Tank Cleaning Association. It will be certified by the quality management system SQAS. EcoChemPlus-Togaliatti is located in the industrial park of Togliatti-Sintez, Togliatti, and has technical capabilities for the treatment of twenty units (tank containers/trucks) per day.

According to Havila, the latest West European-based equipment and complete automative IT system meet the “highest European safety requirements”.

This is the second depot that Havila has established. The first cleaning station Havila launched was opened in Tambov in 2014.

According to Havila, the EcoChem cleaning station was the first EFTCO member in Russia certified by SQAS. During the period of 2014-2017, the depot provided services for more than 6,500 tank containers and tank trucks.

The Samara region is a major transport and chemical hub. In a statement, Havila said that launching the depot will allow the local chemical producers and tank container operators “to optimise logistic chains and to be sure about the quality of equipment they use for loadings”. z

Verkvaeke acquires Dutch counterpart Van der Lee Vervaeke, the Belgian market leader in tank transportation for the chemical and petrochemical sector, has announced the acquisition of its Dutch counterpart Van der Lee. With a turnover of more than €50 million, 400 employees and six locations, including Belgium and Germany, Van der Lee says it is an important logistics service provider in the field of dangerous goods transport by road. This major expansion of Vervaeke’s portfolio will enable it to operate over not only a wider geographical area but a greater range of services.

Combined, Vervaeke and Van der Lee represent a turnover of in excess of €110 million, a fleet of 700 HGVs, more than 1,000 tank trailers and a team of 900 employees. By virtue of this collaboration, Vervaeke’s network now comprises 12 sites, strategically distributed along the chemical cluster of Europe (Ruhr area – Antwerp – Rotterdam.Vervaeke said Van der Lee was “pleased” with the news. z

Miller Transporters opens new ISO container depot

Miller Transporters has opened a new ISO-container depot in New Orleans, Louisiana, US. President of Miller Transporters, Lee Miller, said increasing services is an important part of the company’s growth strategy.

Miller Transporters was founded in 1942 as a petroleum hauling

6

company. The firm now offers transportation, cleaning and heating, loaded and empty lift, storage, and container prep services to customers serviced through the Port of New Orleans.

The addition of the new facility in New Orleans brings the company’s tank container depots to five. z

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

ECTA announces new management team

The European Chemical Transport Association’s (ECTA) board has announced that it has created two new roles.

The news follows the unexpected death of ECTA’s managing director Marc Twisk in July 2016.

ECTA responsible care The organisation has co-ordinator Evert de decided to further strengthen Jong the ECTA management team by splitting the former role of the late Twisk into two sections – an ECTA responsible care co-ordinator position and an ECTA general management appointment.

To ensure continuity, the responsible care position was immediately filled last August by Evert de Jong. He will focus on responsible care topics.

De Jong is a long-standing member of ECTA’s Technical & Responsible Care Committee. He brings his health, safety, security and quality expertise (HSSEQ) to ECTA from his former HSSEQ position at De Rijke Group, a Netherlands-based trucking company.

Elsewhere, ECTA has appointed Peter Devos as its managing director. He will focus on “non-responsible care” matters. He has had an extensive career in chemical production, supply chain and logistics at Monsanto.

Devos and De Jong will work together closely with ECTA’s president Andreas Zink and other ECTA board members. z

Quala acquires Circle City Tank Wash

Quala, a US transport container cleaning specialist, has acquired an Indianapolis-based tank cleaning company called Circle City Tank Wash.

Terry O’Brien, president of Quala, said: “We are excited to bring Circle City Tank Wash into the Quala family. We have been anxious for an opportunity to enter the Indianapolis market. Circle City gave us that opportunity. We are thrilled to offer Quala’s best in class service to customers in this major market.”

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Quala is an independent provider of tank trailer cleaning, ISO container depot services and intermediate bulk container (IBC) cleaning, testing and reconditioning services. It has a network of more than 60 tank wash and wastewater treatment facilities, which are based across the US and Canada. z

Quala has bought an Indianapolis-based tank cleaning company

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TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 7

NEWS

New appointment at RSA-Talke Chemical logistics joint venture RSA-Talke has appointed a new health, safety, security, environment and quality (HSSEQ) manager and business advisor in Dubai. Mark Appleyard has been involved in chemical logistics throughout his career with leading chemicals and fuels logistics 3PL organisations in the UK. His former roles included regional business director Middle East & Africa (Chemical Sector) for Agility in Abu Dhabi. Most recently, he held the position of head of logistics Middle East for Camelot Management Consultants.

Talke’s Middle East and USA director, Richard Heath, said: “We are pleased to have Mark

Appleyard on board. He is an extremely experienced chemical logistics specialist who is particularly focused on HSSEQ. With Mark on our team, we will continue to develop our high standards in our Gulf region sites and, step by step, expand our service portfolio.”

In a statement, the joint venture said: “RSATalke has played a pioneering role in the chemical and petrochemical sector and in 2015 conducted one of the pilot assessments for the GPCA’s Gulf SQAS initiative, supporting the effort to establish this standard in the GCC. The company would like to help set a benchmark in HSSEQ in chemical logistics...” z

Van den Bosch invests in new board computers Van den Bosch Transporten has invested in new board computers. The present communication system used in the company’s trucks is being replaced by the Trimble CarCube.

According to the company, the CarCube is an advanced communication system for trucks which features a range of functions, such as track and trace, use and performance data exchange, automatic driver identification, and driving and rest times integration.

The system is also equipped with truck navigation and documents can now be scanned and sent from the truck.

Van den Bosch Transporten’s business unit manager, Barry Gruijters, said: “The big advantage of the new board computer is the real time exchange of data. We will now instantly have all important data at our disposal through the corresponding software. That means the driver is more and better able to keep track, thus simplifying and improving the cooperation between drivers and planners.

Moreover, manual reading of data cartridges and driver cards will now be things of the past.”

The replacement of the board computers started late in 2016 with all Dutch trucks now upgraded. First reactions are positive, Gruijters said: “Everyone had to get used to it, of course, but the advantages are crystal clear. Continuous data exchange enables us to keep track better and to be able to work more efficiently. We are looking forward to the coming period in which the phased introduction of the new board computer will take place. z

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8

Brenntag posts positive 2016 results

Germany-based chemical distribution company Brenntag has reported an increase in gross profit and operating earnings in 2016, with strong performance in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) and Asia Pacific regions.

The results were achieved in a highly varied economic environment across the globe.

Earnings in North and Latin America were negatively impacted by several economic and political factors, but the existing business in the EMEA and Asia Pacific fared well, and the acquisitions made a positive contribution.

Brenntag generated sales of €10,498.4 million in financial year 2016, an increase of 1.5%. The group also delivered a strong growth in gross profit, an especially important metric for Brenntag, of 4.6% year on year to €2,369.3 million. Operating EBITDA was up on 2015 to €810.0 million, a rise of 0.3% and in the middle of the range forecast for 2016.

Steven Holland, CEO of Brenntag, said: “The Brenntag Group showed a positive performance overall in 2016. We were very pleased with the results in our large EMEA region and in the Asia Pacific segment, where we achieved further growth from the existing business in particular.

“The investments we have made and the measures we have taken here are paying off.

In North America, on the other hand, continued weak demand from customers in the oil and gas sector and weak economic momentum in the region had a noticeable impact on our business in the reporting period. Thanks to its international presence and broad diversification, however, Brenntag was able to increase operating EBITDA and continue to systematically implement its acquisition policy in 2016.” z

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

NEWS

Brexit: Cefic calls for DB Schenker and certainty for continued MAN sign MoU EU-UK trade

Germany-based logistics company DB Schenker and truck manufacturer MAN have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop high-tech networked truck convoys and test their use in real operating conditions.

The partnership – the first of its kind – intends to follow an initial planning stage with trials of a truck platoon on the Digital Motorway Testbed on the A9 motorway between the DB Schenker branches in Munich and Nuremberg in 2018.

The second phase will then involve the deployment of selfdriving trucks on the DB Schenker grounds in Nuremberg.

The primary objective of the platooning – whereby the individual trucks, fitted with technical driver assistance and control systems, will have a consistent distance of around 10 metres between them and be connected by electronic ‘drawbars’ in the form of car-to-car communication – is to enable slipstreaming and thus achieve fuel savings of up to 10% for the entire platoon. Carbon emissions are also reduced.

The partners will also look at the scope for combining platooning with other digital services as well as questions of costs and savings potential.

The project will additionally investigate the requirements that platooning drivers have to satisfy as well as the general impact of this new technology on the truck as a workplace, now and in future.

Jochen Thewes, chairman of the management board of DB Schenker, said: “Many of these things are still a long way off into the future, but we wish to test and help to shape this future, and to provide inspiration and incentive.

We want to integrate networked, self-driving trucks into our logistics processes and find out what benefits – apart from the savings in fuel consumption – can be achieved for our customers and operational processes.” z

With the triggering of Article 50 by UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Cefic, the EU chemical industry association, calls for EU and UK politicians to take a pragmatic approach to negotiations.

In late March, Britain confirmed its objective to withdraw from the European Union. While Prime Minister May states the UK will be looking to discuss trade in parallel to the terms of withdrawal, the EU has given signals that no discussions around trade will be possible until those terms are agreed.

In a statement, Cefic said: “It is clear that in any future solution the integrity of a strong single market based on four fundamental freedoms of the EU needs to be preserved.”

Marco Mensink, Cefic director general, said: “We appreciate negotiators have a very difficult and sensitive task ahead. Politicians on both sides must provide the earliest possible signal concerning how the EU and UK will trade in future so companies on both sides can continue their mutually beneficial trading relationship.

“Certainty will help chemical companies adapt and continue doing business in a rational and predictable manner. Decisions about continued investment can only be made based on long-term predictability.”

The UK has been a highly integrated part of the European chemical industry and manufacturers on both sides of the Channel have benefitted from the single market and open borders for decades, according to Cefic. Other major industry sectors like automotive and construction heavily rely on chemical products for their business.

In 2014, the UK chemical industry represented about 9% of total EU-28 sales while EU-27 exports to the UK were €22.3 billion and imports were around €20.3 billion. z

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TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 9

NEWS

VTG releases 2016 financial results VTG Aktiengesellschaft, a wellknown wagon hire and rail logistics companies in Europe, has announced record operating results for the 2016 financial year despite a slight downturn in revenue.

Based on newly released preliminary (unaudited) figures, operating profit (EBITDA) rose by 2.6% to €345.3 million (from €336.5 million in 2015), despite the fact that revenue declined by 4% to €986.9 million from €1,027.5 million.

This positive development is due partly to the ongoing realisation of synergies following the acquisition of Swiss wagon leasing company AAE, but partly also to successful steps to improve efficiency in various Group divisions.

Since profitability has improved sustainably in the wake of the AAE takeover, the executive board proposed that the dividend this year be increased from €0.50 to €0.75 per share.

“2016 was an exciting and eventful year. The realisation of valuable

VTG expects a mild positive trend in revenue and profit for the rest of the year synergies in the Railcar Division after the acquisition of AAE and successful activities to improve efficiency in our logistics divisions have impacted very positively on our business and are contributing to our growing profitability,” said Heiko Fischer, CEO of VTG. He added: “We expect to see a mild

positive trend in revenue and profit in 2017. We will continue to work on our strategy of making rail more attractive and more competitive. The digitisation of our entire European fleet is a major milestone along this road and, at the same time, a forward-looking project that has given us a pioneering role.” z

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10

CIMC Enric Holdings, a China-based logistics and energy equipment company, has announced its financial results for 2016.

Chairman of CIMC Enric, Gao Xiang, said: “CIMC Enric experienced a crucial year in 2016 with a range of challenges facing the sectors it engaged in. After many years of recorded profit attributable to equity shareholders of the company, the company reported a loss attributable to equity shareholders for the year of 2016.

“Nevertheless, it would not affect the group’s vision of becoming a world-leading manufacturer of specialised equipment and provider of project engineering services for energy, chemical and liquid food industries.

Loss attributable to equity shareholders of the company amounted to RMB928,772,000 (€126.2m), representing a fall of 278.9% over the previous year. Basic loss per share was RMB0.480 and diluted loss per share was RMB0.480.

In a statement, CIMC said: “International oil price remained weak in the first half of the year and gradually recovered in the second half, the price advantage of natural gas as an alternative fuel to oil slowly improved with the rising oil price thus increasing the demand for natural gas equipment at the same time. However, this was not enough to offset the weak performance in the first half and the segment still recorded a slight decline in revenue.

“Despite a stable sales volume, the falling average selling price of both standard and special tank containers caused the chemical equipment segment to post a decrease in revenue.

With the acquisition of Briggs Group (UK logistics specialist) and the appreciation of the Euro against RMB, which is the group’s reporting currency.” z

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

NEWS

Odyssey Logistics & Technology acquires AsepTrans Odyssey Logistics & Technology Corp. has acquired AsepTrans, an asset-based food-grade ISO tank transportation, tank cleaning and ISO tank depot services company.

According to AsepTrans, the company is the only aseptic ISO tank operator in the world and has been developing and refining the technology for more than ten years (aseptic means free of any living organism).

AsepTrans uses a large fleet of super-insulated and refrigerated ISO tanks. The business and operations will merge into the Odyssey FoodTrans unit, doubling both Odyssey’s fleet of intermodal ISO tanks dedicated to food-grade liquids and its ISO tank chassis fleet.

Odyssey’s president and CEO, Bob Shellman, said: “We have just acquired the world’s only aseptic ISO tank operator. This acquisition provides Odyssey with a highly skilled team, state-of-the-art equipment, additional liquid food-grade capacity and ownership of strategically located tank cleaning and ISO tank depot services.”

New tank cleaning station in Saudi Arabia A new ISO tank cleaning facility has been opened in Dammam, the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, by Al Muhaidib Land Transport Company.

According to the company, the facility is “unique” as it blends European technology with a “versatile group of professionals working to the best of their calibre”.

In a statement, the company said its tank cleaning base has “a huge space for tank storage and a number of bays

for cleaning and inspection”.

ISO tank and road tank cleaning, periodic tests, air tests, all types of ISO tank repairs and storage of empty tanks are among a few of the services being provided at the Dammam depot.

In a press release, Al Muhaidib said: “With increasing scope of ISO tanks usage for transportation and handling, there is bright hope that this industry will thrive by leaps and bounds in the coming years in Saudi Arabia.” z

President of Odyssey FoodTrans and Optimodal, Greg Snyder, said: “This exciting acquisition gives Odyssey and its customers a clear advantage in handling temperature-sensitive products. Not only does aseptic transportation help ensure product quality, it can be cost-effective, eliminating the need for shippers to have additional aseptic or pasteurisation processing/storage facilities.

“It is also a clear testament to Odyssey’s commitment to the North American citrus industry with the addition of a large number of super-insulated and refrigerated ISO tank containers to service this important and growing market.”

The acquisition is a part of Odyssey’s overall growth strategy. The company also said that the buy was consistent with Odyssey’s “successful record” of identifying and completing market-leading acquisitions that add value to its customers. In August 2016, Odyssey acquired Linden Bulk Transportation, a well-known 25 tank truck carrier with full service intermodal ISO tank capabilities in the chemical sector. z

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TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 11

INTERVIEW

Five minutes with ITCO’s president

TCM’s Liz Gyekye catches up with ITCO’s new president, Reg Lee

In December 2016, Reg Lee was elected to the position of president of ITCO – the International Tank Container Organisation. Lee was previously president of ITCO from 2004 to 2010 and has been president of @TCO, the Asian Tank Container Organisation, since 2011. His term of office as ITCO’s president commenced on 1 January 2017 and will run until the end of 2018.

Here, TCM spends five minutes with him.

What do you expect to achieve this year as president of ITCO? I hope to combine the two organisations ITCO and @TCO into one worldwide organisation.

How have you found the role so far?

It is still too early to comment.

What do you think is set to be the biggest trend for the tank cleaning industry this year?

To bring the Asia depots in line with the standards already achieved in most of Europe.

What trends are you seeing in the liquid supply chain impacting on the sector?

The oversupply of tank containers.

Manufacturers in Asia are building tank containers to sell and not to meet the demands of the market.

What one thing should the tank container industry be doing more of this year?

I think the industry should be selling the benefits of tank containers as the safest and most cost-effective

12

mode of transport, when used as part of the global liquid supply chain.

What will be the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge will be to ensure that customers understand the benefits of the tank container and the role it plays in shipping liquid chemicals

I think the industry should be selling the benefits of tank containers as the safest and most costeffective mode of transport

in an environmentally-friendly way.

They should just not look at a single price, but look at the overall cost.

How has ITCO’s e-learning course been received?

Very well, but it is still in the early stages.

We rolled this out to tank container users in Asia during our co-sponsored forum with the Association of International Chemical manufacturers (AICM) at the Intermodal Asia 2017 exhibition in Shanghai (23 March, 2017). We believe this will be a great tool for all tank container operators and users.

It’s the 20th anniversary of ITCO next year.

What are your plans?

These plans are still under discussion. z

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

COMMENT

Best practice guidelines Last December, the European chemical and transport industry introduced a guidance document on the cleaning of dry bulk polymer transport tanks.

Here, an industry expert gives his views on why the sector needs the document

For many years, there have been different tank cleaning requirements defined across the polymer industry. Each polymer supplier or transport operator has made adjustments to their cleaning requirements based on previous experiences and as a reaction to contamination incidents. The existence of multiple cleaning specifications creates confusion for the haulier, the cleaning stations and the suppliers.

In reality, most of the polymer suppliers are using the same tanks and haulage companies to deliver very similar products, and so it seems obvious there should be a common approach to cleaning of the equipment. Unloading sites will benefit from a tank cleaning programme that has been developed from all the current best practices within the polymer industry.

The purpose of this guidance document is to provide a best practice guideline for the cleaning of dry bulk polymer tanks, and the cleaning programme will be simply known as the “Polymer industry cleaning specification”. This will become the standard approach for all polymer tank cleaning in the future within the polymer industry.

The experiences of those in the supply chain, and most importantly the cleaning stations, came together to develop a

cleaning programme that will minimise the risks of cross contamination from previous products, when executed correctly.

This specification has been developed to focus on known contamination “hot spots”, and it should bring confidence and a lower incident rate to the industry.

I am excited about the prospect of a single common cleaning programme, which has been developed by a team of experienced professionals, and as a working group we are all very pleased with the output guidance document.

This is a perfect example of industry players coming together with a common goal of making improvements for all those in the supply chain. The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA) and the European Federation of Tank Cleaning (EFTCO) have all played an important role in producing this document, and they will continue to have an important role to play in its “roll out” and implementation. z For more information:

This article was written by Steve Ralph, logistics operations manager at Carrington + Packaging Europe CoE. Visit: www.lyb.com To view the guidance document visit: http://www.cefic.org

A guidance document has been launched to provide a best practice guideline for the cleaning of dry bulk polymer tanks

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 13

COMPANY PROFILE

Cleaning containers in Chile

Tailor-made solutions for worldwide ISO container freight transport The International Tank Container Organisation (ITCO) estimates that more than 444,000 ISO containers are in use around the globe. Compared to 2014, this is an increase of 12.6%.

Despite constantly increasing trade volumes, thorough health and environmentally-friendly as well as fast and efficient interior cleaning of ISO containers must be ensured prior to each new filling. This is subject to increasingly higher, internationally applicable quality requirements for cleaning transport containers. With a current total of about 200,000 different substances, this is no easy task, requiring years of extensive expertise. Cleaning the containers quickly is a problem. The company Contopsa has resolved this problem by using cleaning technology from Kärcher.

Contopsa is part of the world’s leading container shipping company – Moeller

Maersk Group. It was established in 1993. More than 300 employees at the 250,000m² site near San Antonio in Chile accept, deliver, repair, maintain, store and transport empty containers.

They cover the entire region of Arica on the northern border with Peru and the Punta Arena on the southern tip of the country close to the notorious Cape Horn. Following the addition

The tank interior cleaning heads are lowered into the ISO containers with the aid of lifting gear

of a turnkey tank interior cleaning system from Kärcher, this important service is also part of the portfolio.

“Tank interior cleaning is a particularly complex technical challenge: both the size and geometry of the containers as well as typical contamination and external influences such as site and climate zone must be taken into account,” explains Jochen Wöhrle, Kärcher product manager for Plant Engineering.

Wöhrle has familiarised technicians such as Bermardo Fuentes, responsible for the operation and maintenance of the wash system at Contopsa, with the new technology on site. “Our modular system offers solutions for all types of containers. It is also very flexible and can be extended at any time to meet the growing requirements of the system,” adds Wöhrle.

Saving space and reducing cost

The core of the washing bays is formed by two robust units, type HDI 38/12 (in the middle of the picture). The hot water generators are on the left and right

14

The container cleaning system built in 2014 consists of two wash bays: one for aqueous solutions, which produce the best cleaning results with acidic or alkaline cleaning agents, and one for cleaning agents containing solvents, which are required to remove latex residues, for example.

Both wash bays are supplied by industrial crankshaft pumps. Their system operation can be compared to that of a car engine, only that the pistons do not drive a shaft, but the shaft drives several pistons, which in turn build up the pressure.

The core of the first wash bay for

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

COMPANY PROFILE aqueous solutions is formed by two robust units, type HDI 38/12. Each unit is capable of delivering 3,800l of water per hour and building up a pressure of 120 bar. By using high-quality materials such as stainless steel and ceramics, the units are designed to give years of service in industrial environments and long maintenance intervals.

A variety of attachment kits, from

suction-sided Kärcher cleaning agent dosing units, to automatic flow control and hot water operation up to 80°C, provide a wide range of applications. Sturdy frames enable up to three units to be positioned one on top of the other. This saves space and reduces costs for technical rooms.

The air-cooled motor makes an additional cold water connection unnecessary.

Energy-saving tank cleaning

‘Tank interior cleaning is a particularly complex technical challenge’ Jochen Wöhrle, Kärcher product manager for Plant Engineering

Kärcher employees explain the new system to the customer on site

“A hot water generator, type HWE 4000, is connected to each pump unit,” says Wöhrle.

He adds: “Both units can be operated with oil or gas and are capable of heating 4,000l of water per hour to about 85°C at a maximum pressure of 160 bar. With an attachment kit for steam operation, customers can additionally generate hot wet steam with a temperature of 140°C with the same component. Both the heated water and wet steam increase the cleaning power considerably.

This upgrade of the system is currently a unique feature on the market.

“When the system remains unused for a brief period or operates only in cold water mode, the eco-efficiency mode reduces the aeration to prevent the burners from cooling down when the hot water generator is not in use.

“With renewed initial startup, the warm-up time is so short that up to 7% of energy can be saved.”

Due to the fact that hot water generation initially takes place on the pressure side, there is hardly any heat

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TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 15

COMPANY PROFILE

At the 250,000 m² site near San Antonio in Chile, services for the acceptance, delivery, repair, maintenance, storage and transport of empty containers are provided

loss. Conventional systems heat the water already on the suction side; the water loses heat due to the longer route and longer waiting time, until it finally reaches the location of use. In addition, a self-regulating control unit adapts the burner output to the water inlet temperature. This enables precise control of the set value. Further energy can be saved by the optional heat recovery from waste water or exhaust gas.

Once the water is brought to the correct temperature and appropriate cleaning pressure by both crankshaft pumps and hot water generators, cleaning agent is added by a dosing pump, which is suitable for high pressure use. The water is subsequently transported to the wash bays via high-pressure lines. These consist of gantries under which the ISO containers are positioned. From the gantries, the interior cleaning heads are lowered into the containers by means of lifting gear.

Robust tank interior cleaning head At the wash bay for aqueous solutions, an HKF 200°C – Ex cleaning head is used. It is suitable for use in potentially explosive atmospheres and was designed especially for use in 20 foot ISO containers with a capacity of up to 70,000l. Due to its compact construction style, the robust tank interior cleaning head only requires a minimum opening of 200 mm.

The HKF 200 C – Ex is designed for a water volume of up to 10,000l per hour and a pressure of 200 bar. Its rotation is generated by an electric motor.

In this way, the speed is controlled independently of the cleaning medium volume. The two cleaning nozzles on this model rotate both horizontally and

16

The new system in Chile is also closely inspected

by Kärcher employees

vertically, the high-pressure jet reaches all surfaces in the container interior.

Commenting on the concept of the newly installed system, Wöhrle says: “In this way, the mechanical impact pressure required for this application is generated and together with the parameters water temperature, chemicals and contact time, the actual cleaning performance is also achieved. “ Precise balance of water pressure and volume This finely balanced combination of water pressure and volume is decisive for the required result. In addition, it minimises water use. This, in turn, reduces the expenditure for water treatment and therefore the impact on the environment.

“A further significant advantage is the time-saving aspect,” says Fuentes. “We

previously needed 24 hours to clean a unit so that the containers were ready again for delivery to customers. Now it is only one hour. With an average of 60 ISO containers per month, this saves a great deal of time and is worthwhile.”

The second wash bay has different requirements. Instead of aqueous solutions, solvent-containing media are used. The components were selected accordingly. This includes the SHD-R 3000 LM crankshaft pump as well as the HKS 100 LM interior cleaning head weighing 8 kilos. It is designed for a water volume of 1,200 to 6,000l per hour and a pressure of 40 to 100 bar. To ensure that it rotates evenly, the interior cleaning head has an adaptive hydraulic brake.

The interior cleaning head also has the highest classification in accordance with the explosion protection directive ATEX. In order to reduce costs, the solventcontaining cleaning medium is collected in circulation tanks, cleaned mechanically and returned to the high-pressure pump.

This continues until the medium has lost its cleaning power and must be disposed of.

“With a highly frequented location of use such as ours, where a smooth process sequence is essential, customerspecific solutions are necessary.

However, with all this diversity, we have to rely on the cleaning results always being the same, i.e. of the highest level, “ concludes Fuentes. z For more information:

Visit: www.kaercher.com

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

REGULATION

Meeting VdF requirements Tank cleaning is an essential element in the food supply chain More attention is being paid towards the tank cleaning industry, as the food sector strives to reach high standards of hygiene to conform to food safety rules.

Due to the fact that the products and ingredients come into direct physical contact with transport equipment, the tanker cleaning process is essential.

Some serious food safety incidents, especially in relation to allergens, have made the food sector more sensitive and demanding towards the issue of traceability. Especially as this tanker cleaning process is beyond their direct control at a remote location.

Until recent times, it was quite common that the industry blindly followed the system initiated by the chemical sector, by simply demanding a European Cleaning Document (ECD).

However, industry experts concluded that the ECD, and the Safety and Quality Assessment System (SQAS), run by the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), does not fit the food safety documentation for the sector.

This is partly because the food industry does not have access to the SQAS databases. It is also because the questions outlined in the SQAS assessment were not deemed suitable for the food industry.

As a consequence, different standards and initiatives were launched. This included the European Federation of Tank Cleaning Operations (EFTCO) food initiative and the certification system unveiled by SGF (the international fruit juice association).

A rule squeeze VdF stands for Verband deutscher Fruchtsaft-Industrie – also known as the German association for the fruit juice industry.

A working group from the VdF concluded that it would not be wise to compromise on tanker cleaning quality and came up with a uniform guideline for tanker cleaning.

Three different programmes were specified. This included a standard for water soluble cargoes and a programme for cargoes containing oils and fats, and allergens. There was also a system for products which needed

to start cleanouts with cold water.

A crucial point of the VdF guidelines is to be able to provide electronic process traceability of every cleaning. Traceability is essential to the food-industry, especially when it concerns a remote process with direct product contact consequences.

Liability cleaning stations Most cleaning stations maintain EFTCOindustry standard conditions. These conditions limit the consequential liability of the station. A cleaning station delivers a cleaning effort, legally not a cleaning result. If a tank is found insufficiently cleaned, the station liability under EFTCO conditions is limited to a free re-clean.

Essential in the VdF guidelines is the demand to be able to provide electronic process traceability of every cleaning Nevertheless, this situation changes if false declarations are made on the cleaning document. The owner of a cleaning station should therefore be careful only to confirm cleaning according to the VdF requirements if he is really able to be compliant.

This ensures that certain process steps were taken to adhere to VdF standards. But it also confirms that the cleaning process was electronically recorded and can be made traceable.

Cleaning process controls using PLC programmes only are insufficient.

If a cleaning cannot be reproduced afterwards, one cannot comply with VdF guidelines. A VdF declaration on the document can then be considered false and liability of the cleaning station is suddenly extended beyond the limitations of their own conditions.

and a cargo-owner. The transporter slots in-between the two. Therefore, it is often the transporter who confirms compliance to VdF guidelines to his customer. It is also the transporter who has to manage what is procured from the cleaning station. As a consequence, the transporter is first in line when liability issues hit in relation to incorrect cleaning statements. For the transporter, it is therefore essential to manage this and ensure that statements on the cleaning forms are correct. Buying a VdF-style cleaning which is not legitimate might be cheap, but it is not smart.

Cargo owners It would not be wise to wait for incidents and then take the liability position.

Brand value can be at risk and the consumer will not want to hear that stringent cleaning control was not taken in the logistics supply chain to assure food safety and hygiene.

Moreover, it is more constructive to pay attention towards the issue and not accept false statements. This way the chain of cleaning stations, transporters and cargo owners can jointly grow to an improved and traceable tanker cleaning process. It is important to step away from a situation where cleaning can become an area for competitive procurement, which jeopardises food integrity and quality.

Process traceability Electronic process traceability doesn’t wipe out small stations from the market.

Such technology is economically available. Besides, external traceability also helps tank cleaning owners to be in better control of their cleaning processes and costs. For example, CleanSecure’s technology can help those who aim to reconnect the food industry with the cleaning industry.

Ultimately, this helps transparency and creates better understanding. z

Consequence to the transporters For more information:

In most cases there is no contractual relationship between a cleaning station

This article was written by Wilko Scholtens, founder of CleanSecure.

Visit: www.CleanSecure.com

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 17

STANDARDS

ENFIT: New developments and standards More collaborative discussions are taking place between the food industry, logistics companies and cleaning stations

The European and International Tank Cleaning Association (ENFIT) has been working on developing and implementing European and international quality standards for cleaning and disinfecting food, feed and chemical transport containers since 2008.

ENFIT offers international standards for cleaning, disinfecting and traceability to its members, such as tank cleaners, logistics companies, the chemical industry, food and feed industries.

European and international standards ensure more security and transparency in the supply chain. With the new ENFIT cleaning codes, new standards and cleaning processes are set.

Since the beginning of 2017, ENFIT has been offering kosher and halal certifications to its members in addition to the HQF audit (High-Quality-Food/

Every day, more than 250,000 tonnes of foodstuffs are transported on Europe’s roads

Suitability test according to DIN 10 502-1 Standard and Global Identification ID

18

Hans-Dieter Philipowski, president of ENFIT

Feed). Further container test centres were opened for the DIN 10 502-1 (inspection of food transportation containers standard) suitability test this year as well. With the container test, according to DIN 10 502-1 logistics companies can provide their customers with proof of the food suitability of the transport container. These are the prerequisites for a secure supply chain, which are required by the industry.

ENFIT is particularly focused on the interests of logistics companies and cleaning stations through targeted lobbying at national, European and international organisations and associations such as the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), DGSANTE, Food Control, the food and veterinary office (FVO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and others.

The organisation’s main aim is to bring the needs and the interests of logistics companies and cleaning stations to the forefront. This helps to ensure that tank cleaning stations are paid fairly.

The necessary safety during transport and transport hygiene should not be at the cost of the logistics and cleaning companies.

Supply chain food safety is becoming increasingly important for consumers and industries, as evidenced by recalls by renowned food companies.

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

STANDARDS The risks of contamination during transportation from bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycotoxins, allergens and other pollutants, such as plastic particles and chemical contaminants, remain underestimated by those responsible.

Contamination threatens more than people’s health; it also threatens the existence of companies.

Contaminated food can have very serious long-term health consequences.

Apart from the risks from microorganisms and other contaminants, the risks due to allergens have increased dramatically. Under food information regulation LMIV 1169-2011, the most important allergens must be indicated.

Every day, more than 250,000 tonnes of foodstuffs are transported on Europe’s roads, railways and waterways as bulk solids, granules or liquids. Packaged, partially packaged and unpackaged, they are normally transported in temperature-controlled thermal or kit vehicles. Currently, around 800 stationary cleaning stations in Europe carry out an average of 30,000 food and feed cleaning actions per day.

Food and feed business operators Food logistics providers, cleaning stations, manufacturers and leasers of food and feed transport containers are ‘food and feed business operators’ under the (EG) 178-2002 food safety EU regulation.

‘Food and feed business operators’ bear the same responsibility as food producers themselves, but are often unaware of it. ENFIT aims to educate these market participants.

EU regulations The following EU regulations are in force: • Food safety (EG) 178-2002, • Food hygiene regulation (EU) 852/853-2004, • First and recurring audit of food transport containers according to DIN 10 502-1/2; • Food information regulation (EU) LMIV 1169-2011, • Feed hygiene regulation (EU) 183-2005, • LFGB – food and feed law, 2014 • Consumer Goods Act, BedGgstV-1992.

Only standardised and validated methods may be used to clean and disinfect food and feed transport containers.

ENFIT training seminars for quality manager, cleaning station and logisticans

Currently, a simple food container cleaning costs around €100 on average.

Based on high ENFIT standards the cleaning cost for a normal cleaning should be €180–230 on average and an aseptic, allergen-free, kosher or halal cleaning/disinfection costs at least around €280–350.

However, a shipping container can only be hygienically clean if all valves, floor drains, pipes, loading and vent pipes, filters, seals, fittings, pumps, hoses, etc. have been cleaned and disinfected.

It is worth the food industry and logistics companies coming together and paying a high price to cleaning stations in order to get a higher quality clean.

By introducing the HQF certificate, the ENFIT Guideline Food and Quality Cleaning Certificate and the ICC International Cleaning Certificate (HQCC-high-quality-cleaning-certificate), European and international standards have been defined for the verifiable cleaning of food transport containers.

Standardised cleaning processes, reproducible results and hygiene, consumer protection, food safety and the technical inspection of cleaning technology are therefore clearly important.

Verified cleaning stations receive the

certificate and, depending on their performance, a corresponding seal of approval. These include a basic, high or excellent quality cleaning approval.

Cleaning stations with a seal of approval must undergo a microbiological and detailed risk assessment.

Food and allergen traceability and DIN inspection The first and recurring inspection for food and feed transport containers was introduced in 2015 by ENFIT with the implementation of inspection standard DIN10 502-1. Industry, logistics providers, cleaning stations and surveillance authorities can fully track inspection intervals, transport, cleaning and disinfection as well as the recent precursors and possible allergens using ENFIT standards and the ‘global IT system’ and ‘global-inspection label’.

ENFIT cleaning certificates have also been recognised by the VCI (the German chemical industry association) since October 2015. z

For more information:

This article was written by Hans-Dieter Philipowski, president of ENFIT. Visit: www.enfit.eu

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 19

BIG INTERVIEW HTC-Tankcleaning started its first tank cleaning station in Herenthout, which is based 25km from Antwerp, in 1997

Busy in Belgium

A company with 20 years of experience is continuing to grow from strength to strength An independent tank cleaning company in Belgium is seeing strong demand for its services. The company is planning to launch a new tank cleaning base called HTC Colombus Container Service near the Scheldelaan road in Antwerp, which will open in June. Here, Jochen Van Hoydonck, business manager at Group HTC – TankCleaning, gives TCM an insight into the company’s past aims and future ones.

What’s the story behind the business?

HTC is an independent company that specialises in tank cleaning and industrial wastewater treatment. In 1997, we started our first tank cleaning station in Herenthout, which is based 25km from Antwerp. It is easy to get to if you are travelling from Germany or the south east of the Netherlands. It is easily accessible from the Port of Antwerp area.

A couple of years later we opened HTC-Wallonie at Liège and in 2004 we started HTC-Colombus in the middle of the Port of Antwerp. To be able to give a full service all over Antwerp and the south of Belgium, we acquired HTC-Seneffe in 2008.

Once established, what was your strategy?

Quality and service have always been our main objectives. We prefer to work with our customers as partners in a healthy, client supplier relationship. This starts

20

with a friendly reception for the driver, cleaning in an efficient way and following the necessary procedures in an open communication with respect for all parties.

We can provide our customers with the best service over all our HTC-Tankcleaning stations through one central administration and one commercial contact.

You will open a new tank cleaning station soon. How has that been received by your clients?

Clients prefer to work with HTC as their partner in the fast growing chemical cluster in the Port of Antwerp. As a result of this, our capacity filled up quickly.

We could not grow anymore on our cleaning site, so we had to look for a new location. Luckily, we found a new spot 500m from HTC-Colombus and started building a new tank cleaning station exclusively for intermodal tank containers.

With this second location on the “chemical highway of the Port of Antwerp”, we can improve our service and flexibility.

Our clients are looking forward to this.

What challenges have you encountered?

With the new HTC-Colombus Container Services we can make a clear distinction between the “cleanings on wheels” and the cleaning of a tank container out of storage.

Throughput time is one of the most

important challenges for cleanings on wheels. Planning is important for the tank container in storage, as tanks need to be cleaned and ready for pick up when the clients request them back. With this extension of capacity we are sure we can make a large improvement on both points.

Do you see any new trends happening in the industry at the moment?

The chemical industry is a global industry and the transport of chemical products is changing in many ways. First, we saw changes in transport systems from tank trailers to tank containers. Tank containers are becoming an independent item.

Second, our clients are becoming more diverse and we are getting requests from all over the world. Third, timesheets or timeslots are becoming increasingly important. A good company can make a great difference to a tank clean.

Open communications with real-time information has become very important in this fast moving, global industry.

How do you adhere to all the standards out there?

With 20 years of experience, we have a database of more than 10,000 products with different types of cleaning procedures.

With the acceptance of every new product we have to make an evaluation

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

BIG INTERVIEW With this new cleaning station, HTC will have a total of five different tank cleaning stations all over Belgium with one central administration, one central tariff list, and one central contact. This makes it very easy for our customers to overview their cleanings within the area.

Elsewhere, we will also use the latest new tools of communication so our clients will have real time information.

Group HTC - TankCleaning carry out around 50,000-60,000 cleanings a year

on environmental, health and safety risk in accordance with local regulations.

Our SQAS (Safety & Quality Assessment System) assessment and ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certificate helps us to organise our business in the best possible way.

As a member of CTC (Belgian tank cleaning association), we are always meeting requirements for new standards

for tank cleaning. In addition to this, we see every new standard as an opportunity.

What sets you apart from your counterparts?

The division of cleaning on wheels or cleaning out of storage on two different locations makes us unique on the market and gives us more flexibility than our counterparts.

What is your company’s outlook?

Although we do between 50,000 and 60,000 cleanings a year and treat about 500,000 tonnes of industrial wastewater, we still want to maintain a personal approach to our customers. We aim to be a company that always listens to our customers, treats them with respect and addresses their environmental, safety and health concerns.

A lot of things have changed in the last 20 years, but Group HTC has kept following its own direction in the market and grabs every opportunity that comes its way. This has made us what we are today, an ambitious healthy organisation in which we always try to improve our quality and service. z

HTC COLOMBUS CONTAINER SERVICES CLEANING - STORAGE - REPAIR ITACT

GROUP HTC-TANKCLEANING TANKCLEANING

T: 0032/(0)3.545.05.45 - F:0032/(0)3.545.05.46 Info.colombus@htctc.com - www.htctc.com

Colombus

discover good tank care

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 21

COMPANY PROFILE

All over Europe A Belgian tank cleaning company is finding business all over Europe

Car- & Truckwash (CTW) is a Belgian installer of tank cleaning stations. With more than 30 years of experience, CTW supports its customers with the renovation and construction of new cleaning stations from start to finish. The company develops and realises tank cleaning facilities for the internal cleaning of silo/bulk tanks, chemical tanks, food tanks, containers, railway carriages, and intermediate bulk containers (IBC), and for process and clean-in-place (CIP) cleaning.

At the end of 2016, CTW completed its installation of two new tank cleaning projects. For Eikelenboom in Belgium it built a food tank cleaning station with two

washing lanes. It also installed its first new latex cleaning unit for Cotac Belgium.

Food tank cleaning for Eikelenboom CTW recently built a new tank cleaning installation for Eikelenboom in Ardooie, Belgium. Eikelenboom European Food Transport is a specialist in the tank

The tank cleaning installation is custombuilt to the needs of the company transport of liquid food products and has been established for more than 50 years.

After an earlier successful tank cleaning station renovation accomplished by CTW, Eikelenbloom relied on CTW again to build a completely new tank cleaning station.

This new facility includes a new food cleaning hall with two washing lanes.

The tank cleaning installation is custombuilt to the needs of the company and features a CTW tank cleaning unit (100 bar and 215l/min), two washing lanes for food tankers, four washing heads per washing lane, and a loading platform with a length of nine metres, built according to all safety standards. The station also features two hydraulic fall traps, two rail systems at a length of nine metres and another two 15-metre-long rail systems for manual cleaning. Additionally, CTW integrated into the station a new software that enables Eikelenboom to link its washing orders, forms and European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations (EFTCO) certificates.

New software version for operator panel With the release of the software, CTW has taken into consideration the requests of some of its customers, namely up to ten steps in the washing programmes. Each separate step in the programme can have its own temperature, etc. Furthermore, CTW can now monitor all data from the washing programme on the screen and all the data is saved and available for graphs and other visualisation.

CTW registers water flow, pressure, temperature, and chemical consumption.

The new installation will also be equipped with pressure pulse detection. Each pulse is equal to a certain quantity of a chemical product and is also a check for the chemical system.

Latex cleaning station

Eikelenboom’s new food tank cleaning station

22

CTW has installed a new CIP/latex cleaning unit for Cotac Belgium, a member of the Hoyer Group. This custombuilt unit is developed for the use of three washing heads on two washing lanes.

The CTW latex unit consists of a buffer tank with steam heating, a feeding pump, washing heads, a membrane pump, a filter, and flow measurement devices. This unit is available in several sizes and executions, depending on the needs of the customer.

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

COMPANY PROFILE Johan Caluwe, head of the technical service of Cotac Belgium, said: “We are very satisfied with the cleaning result!

Our latex tank containers are cleaned much faster and much better with the new latex unit.”

New tank cleaning project in Russia

cleaning tankers containing chemical products. CTW will guide and help Colorit through the complete process of building until the start-up this new installation. The project will be operational by the end of 2017.

CTW will be at Transport & Logistics in Munich from 9-12th May (Hall A6.242). z

After visiting CTW installations with Yuri Vityuk, president of Colorit, and following a profound discussion about the project, Colorit decided to work with CTW for its tank cleaning project in Lipetsk, Russia. The new infrastructure will contain two lanes for

This article was written by Iben Schellekens, marketing officer at CTW Cleaning. Visit:www.ctwcleaning.com

For more information:

Cotac’s new CTW latex cleaning unit

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 23

TANK CLEANING IN GERMANY

DVTI: Food glorious food

A look at Germany’s trade association for professional certified tank cleaners

After the rollercoaster ride that was 2016, the tank cleaning industry is wondering what the rest of 2017 might have in store for it. Following the somewhat surprising results to the Brexit referendum in the UK last year, the presidential election in the US, and even some the unexpected deaths of some of the greats of the entertainment world, some might argue that what the sector is really looking for in 2017 is stability.

Nevertheless, 2016 was not a bad year for Deutscher Verband für Tankinnenreinigung (DVTI) – the German trade association for professional, certified tank cleaning stations. In fact, it was a year of growth with new members joining up to the trade body. The majority of the new members who joined DVTI last year specialised in cleaning food products.

A total of 99 DVTI members represent around 148 cleaning stations located across Germany for the cleaning of transport tanks from

24

chemicals, pharamaceutical and feed sectors.

system was the result of good co-operation formed between

of wash bays that specialise in cleaning food-based

DVTI is a member of EFTCO – the European Federation of Tank Cleaning Organisations.

EFTCO was founded in 1993 with the main aim of organising tank cleaning in a safe and environmentally responsible way across Europe.

Today, EFTCO represents around 530 tank cleaning stations in Europe. There are members EFTCO’s 22 national tank cleaning associations.

DVTI and EFTCO. It gives the food industry the possibility of monitoring individual requirements for food safety during the cleaning of tank and silo equipment.

materials. The aim of the work group was to integrate the European legislation into the EFTCO food questionnaire as much as possible. During the compilation of the questionnaire, the fact that there were no special legal requirements for food-based cleaning had to be taken into consideration. That is why the general legal requirements are settled into the comments of the questionnaire. The aim of this was to achieve a practical solution, in which the interests of all parties, for example, the loading industry, the transport companies and the tank cleaning stations were taken into consideration.

A complete EFTCO food assessment consists of three parts, which are outlined below.

1. SQAS core with general management, quality and safety questions 2. SQAS tank cleaning with general tank cleaning questions 3. EFTCO food assessment questionnaire with food specific questions The results from the EFTCO food assessment questionnaire do not include ratings on the quality of “a clean” from a cleaning station. Therefore,

Essential part of the supply chain It is important that tank cleaning services are carried out by professional and reliable partners.

This is one of the main objectives of EFTCO and what the European Cleaning Document (ECD) stands for.

DVTI is actively involved

Food safety and defense An international work group also helped with the implementation of EFTCO’s food assessment. The work group was supported by the national associations of tank cleaning stations under the leadership of DVTI. It was unveiled in 2013.

EFTCO’s food assessment is a supplementary part of the SQAS (Safety & Quality Assessment System) tank cleaning assessment. In previous years, the quality demands of the loading industry and its related

EFTCO represents around 530 tank cleaning stations in Europe in the European approach of EFTCO. This looks at the issues of safety, environment, education, technical improvements and food safety. The development of EFTCO’s food assessment

associations have steadily grown in relation to food safety and food defense issues.

The food assessment system provides a worthwhile supplement and a European solution to SQAS assessments

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

TANK CLEANING IN GERMANY the food industry and their transport logistics partners will need to arrange their own ratings of a “tank clean” based on their own individual food tank cleaning demands.

The audit results will become available for all registered and authorised partners on EFTCO’s internet platform to view individual quality ratings. The quality rating of the audit results are subject to individual/specific standards of the food industry and can only be executed by the industry and/or their logistic partners.

There is a lot of knowledge in the tank cleaning sector about cleaning tanks that contain food. The food industry has a high approval rating for the tank cleaning sector and hard rejects any cleans. In fact, rejections fall far below 0.01%. This provides proof that the tank cleaning industry is meeting food industry standards.

All food cleaning stations carrying out this assessment across Europe are authorised to use the EFTCO food logo.

Food-related codes help to provide the documentation that cleaning of a food tank has taken place and that the tank is prepared to take new products of food.

EFTCO is going to improve this assessment with the feedback it receives from the food industry, cleaning stations and transport service providers.

EFTCO secretary Lutz Harder

are members of EFTCO-related national associations use the standardised ECD for the

documentation of cleaning.

Tank cleaning stations need to address and improve their adherence to food safety in order to fulfill industry standards across the whole of Europe.

Despite all the positive issues happening within the industry, many challenges still remain.

For example, the challenge of carrying out kosher and halal cleaning. There are no standard definitions for this type of cleaning and the industry needs to work on standardisation and define requirements. Future cleaning

documentations should be given with an electronical version of the ECD. DVTI, as member of EFTCO, is continuously working with EFTCO to increase the quality level and communication with the industry and all logistic partners. z

For more information:

This article was written by Lutz Harder, general manager of DVTI and general secretary of EFTCO. Visit: http://www.eftco.org/ Visit EFTCO at the Transport Logistic Exhibition, taking place in Munich from 9-12 May, at Hall B4 Stand 401.

The European standard The uniform ECD has been developed by EFTCO, in co-operation with ECTA and Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council), in order to satisfy the needs of cleaning stations, transport companies and chemical, feed and food manufacturing companies.

The ECD is accepted widely across Europe and uses crosslinguisitic EFTCO codes.

All cleaning stations which

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 25

SOFTWARE

Cloud services and security Transforming your infrastructure with cloud services

Tank cleaning is looked upon by some as an industrial, very down-to-earth activity, not at all connected to common buzzwords like digitalisation. This could not be further from the truth. Cleaning is very much a complex business, which requires competence and knowledge across many boundaries.

An increasing number of companies are adopting cloud technology and implementing it in their business management – not only in the IT sector.

To explore the technology further, it is necessary to define what a “cloud service” is. A cloud service is any service made available to users on demand via the internet from a cloud computing provider’s servers as opposed to being provided from a company’s own onpremises servers. Just about any IT service is available as a cloud service today.

An increasing number of companies are adopting cloud technology

Michael Wallenius, CEO of Katakumo

26

It is difficult to attribute the origins of the phrase to a single person. However, in 1961, John McCarthy, an American computer scientist, gave his thoughts on the future of IT, stating: “Computing may someday be organised as a public utility just as the telephone system is a public utility […]. Each subscriber needs to pay only for the capacity he actually uses, but he has access to all programming languages characteristic of a very large system. Certain subscribers might offer service to other subscribers.

The computer utility could become the basis of a new and important industry.”

Despite his words, it was not until the mid-1990s that network drawings started to show how users could connect to cloud services via computer.

The National Institute of Standards

In the mid-1990s, network drawings started to show how users could connect to cloud services via computer

and Technology’s definition of cloud computing identifies “five essential characteristics” of a cloud service: • On-demand self-service • Broad network access • Resource pooling • Rapid elasticity • Measured service There are several types of cloud services available. The basic services are Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Application as a Service (AaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS). Some unite this under Eaas, Everything as a Service, which might describe where the world is heading.

As with everything involving storing information, there are risks linked to how and where you store, access and utilise the information. This includes information stored on paper and information stored in text files on a disk drive in a super secure data centre.

There are many things to consider when deciding which cloud service provider to select. This includes the following:

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

SOFTWARE • Trust – Are service providers able to manage services with integrity, security and quality? Do they care about security and do they have skilled developers?

• Is it a well-tested application?

How long has it been around?

Does it seem stable?

• Is access given through an encrypted channel?

• Are password demands high?

• Where are the services delivered from? Are there legal aspects that might have an effect on businesses?

• Will I store sensitive data and especially personal/integrity data that must apply to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU? • How are the services administered and are there monitoring services available?

• What does the agreement look like? Where is accountability and responsibility detailed?

A common reason why companies still run their own “servers” (sometimes old laptops or desktops running outdated

operative system environments) in closets, cellars and under desks is due to the lack of feeling trust. They have fear in losing control and flexibility. Another common reason is the belief that their application is unique and cannot be deployed in a cloud environment.

An infrastructure provider like Amazon or Google could handle a server’s hardware in a better way than some employees would.

There are many benefits of using a cloud service provider for individual needs: • Accessibility - independent of device or location • Cost reductions • Scalability and flexibility • Professional and experienced personnel handle all problems • It is extremely easy and quick to get a new server or service available • Focus own resources on core business instead of managing IT Katakumo develops and markets an internet-based software service, Tankmin, to help tank cleaning businesses comply

with EU legislation and be in control of what has been cleaned, heated, repaired, or is in storage. The software keeps track of what has been done, what is planned, and which operator is assigned to an order, and also integrates with the business’ financial system. z For more information:

This story was written by Michael Wallenius, CEO of Katakumo. Visit: www.tankmin.eu

References 1. https://www.technologyreview. com/s/425623/the-cloud-imperative/ 2. http://searchcloudprovider.techtarget. com/definition/cloud-services 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Cloud_computing 4. Figure 8, “A network 70 is shown schematically as a cloud”, US Patent 5,485,455, column 17, line 22, filed Jan 28, 1994 5. Figure 1, “the cloud indicated at 49 in Fig. 1.”, US Patent 5,790,548, column 5 line 56–57, filed April 18, 1996 6. Peter Mell and Timothy Grance (September 2011). The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing (Technical report). National Institute of Standards and Technology: U.S. Department of Commerce, http:// dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-145

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OPINION

Bringing the tanks to the clouds

There are still major challenges in developing a standard cleaning certificate system that is not open to fraud In last year’s TCM spring edition, you may have read about a 25-year old university student from Sweden who said he had a potential solution to the issue of fraudulent European Cleaning Documents (ECDs).

As I wrote in my last article, a paperbased certificate system can only offer a certain level of security. Therefore, I developed a web-based tracking system that feeds information to all involved parties by letting each actor enter their latest status of the tank cleaning process.

The work of developing the system is ongoing and there is now a beta phase open for anyone that is interested in the innovation. The system now connects the complete supply chain making the process of keeping clean tank units in service a breeze.

unloaded and the status will be changed again. As the tank will be needed for more transports, it will now go for cleaning where the cleaning station will clean it.

They will certify the cleaning by uploading a certificate to the system as well as setting the status of the tank to “clean”. With the final step the tank will be loadable and can continue on to its next assignment. Since the tank owner is also included in the chain they will be able to follow their assets as they go along, keeping the bulk industry running.

Using an iPad to document the cleaning, the e-ECD is created and sent to the cloud. The process is a leaner and securer version of today’s paper-based system.

One big cloud

machine, typically a computer, has been working and available. Availability is counted in percentage of “uptime” per time unit and to keep the service up and running, at least 95-99% of uptime is needed. The second parameter, scalability, is whether or not it easily scales in accordance with usage. In the beginning there may be a few users and a low workload. However, as the user count increases, the servers need to up their performance as well. This is automated on many providers, to keep the servers quick and responsive - making sure you as a user won’t have to wait for information.

The platform The system will be made up of four actors: the cleaning station, the loading-/ offloading station and the tank owner.

First, it starts off with the tank owner (base user of the innovation) adding their tanks onto the system with the tank number and number of compartments.

When the tank is loaded, the loading station enters its specific information about the product before the tank reaches its end destination. At the loading stage of the process, the “receiving” person will also be able to check the history of the tank, including its latest cargos and cleanings.

This will ensure that the tank is fully documented and traceable throughout its journey to the delivery point and that no risky products have been put inside the tank prior to this load.

Second, at the delivery stage the agent responsible will certify the tank has been

28

Well, it is not really a cloud per se. The foundation of cloud services is based on big clusters of servers serving requests as usual. The big difference to having a cloud solution versus a rented server is that you only pay for what you use in the cloud. This brings down the operating costs, making it possible to offer a cheaper service to a bigger mass. In addition to this, there is load management to keep requests evenly distributed over a few points rather than trying to fit them all on one server.

Next steps While my solution has been under development for a while, the next step in the process is for the stakeholders to find out what platform they want to use for the system. Cloud platforms differ in availability, scalability and price.

Uptime is a measure of the time a

The long run Hopefully, if this system is implemented, services like constant tracking, real-time updates and RFID-tagging of units can be added. This will be to further establish a good flow of valuable information which in turn will lead to even more efficient logistics and usage of manhours. Things like automated heaters and positioning at storage spaces could be available as the development goes on. It might seem as cliché, but the sky is really the limit here. Using the IoT (Internet of Things) to connect physical objects to sensors and servers opens up a new world of information flows. z For more information:

This article was written by Didrik Birkemalm.

He is a student at the University of Sweden where he studies Business and Economics. Visit: www.dbirkemalm.com

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

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biofuels international january/february 2017 3 TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 29

CASE STUDY

Tackling a trio of troubles

Fast cycle jet cleaners have the potential to cut back on cleaning time, water use and costs Cleaning tanks and vessels is achieved by a mixture of four elements: time, mechanical action, heat and chemical action. These four elements are illustrated in the accompanying pie charts, which show the proportional contribution that each element makes to overall cleaning. The mechanical action element is effectively a function of how the cleaning fluid is delivered to the cleaning surface. Similar volumes of water will achieve drastically different mechanical actions depending on the nature of the delivery, and delivery of the fluid depends on the pressure it is sprayed at and – most importantly – on the type of tank cleaning head used.

At one end of the scale we have a finely atomised spray which delivers almost no mechanical action other than the gentle rinsing as the water runs down the side of the tank. At the other end of the scale, the same volume of water delivered in the form of a high pressure jet will contribute a very high level of mechanical cleaning action.

When using static spray balls for tank cleaning, the water is split into multiple small jets and this, whilst not the same as atomisation, significantly reduces impact.

Washing is achieved mostly by water cascading down the sides of the tank rather than by direct impact cleaning and the action of the water is actually more rightly considered to be part of the chemical element of the cleaning mix. In order to compensate for a very small mechanical action component of cleaning, the chemical action element needs to be increased in the form of higher flow rates. Also, as the mechanical action is so minimal, the time element also needs to be increased considerably to achieve the desired results.

With spray balls and other static

30

is a hard lower limit on the amount of time rotary jet cleaners need to work for. This can mean that rotary jet cleaners are not suitable for small tanks or residues that only need quick rinse cycles from static nozzles.

Rotary spray balls represent a halfway house between static balls and impingement cleaners delivering more impact than static nozzles, but nowhere near as much as jet cleaners.

That said, they do have the advantage of not needing to conform to a minimum cleaning cycle as complete coverage is achieved within a few seconds. However, given the limited mechanical action of rotary spray balls, considerable time is still required to achieve cleaning, particularly for tougher residues.

New innovations

tank cleaning systems we tend to see increased flow rates and cleaning times, which translates to a lot of water being used. In short, static spray balls are very water inefficient. With impingement cleaners, direct jets deliver high impact cleaning, meaning the mechanical action component of the cleaning mix is greatly increased. This means other elements can be reduced.

The reduction in the time component, however, is limited to the time the cleaning head takes to build up its complete cycle. Because jets are being used to clean the tank, rather than water cascading down the walls, the jets need to be brought to bear on each part of the tank in a set cycle. Anything under the minimum time and cleaning will not be complete, so unlike with spray balls, there

Traditionally, impingement cleaners have been seen as being necessary only for larger tanks or heavy residues. For very big tanks (over metres in diameter), they are the only viable option as only jet cleaners have the necessary reach.

With tough residues, the time it will take for low-impact cleaners to break down the residue make them inefficient both in terms of water used and downtime on the process vessel, so impingement cleaners are the only viable option.

This means that rotary jet cleaners have primarily been designed to clean large tanks with tough residues and are typically geared to rotate slowly to ensure that the cleaning jets have enough dwell time to really act on heavily soiled tank walls. This slower motion, coupled with the hard lower limit on time due to set cleaning cycles, means that most impingement cleaners have been inefficient (in terms of water usage) for

SPRING 2017 • TANK CLEANING

CASE STUDY small tanks or lighter residues. However, a new breed of fast cycle impingement cleaners is promising to change that.

For smaller tanks with lighter residues, a fast cycle jet (FCJ) cleaner can save considerable amounts of time and water.

The principle is simple. The rotary jet cleaner gives a much higher mechanical action contribution to the cleaning mix because it is geared to run very fast.

Therefore, cleaning cycles can also be reduced. The fast gearing means some mechanical action is lost at further distances because the fast motion of the jets causes them to break up more quickly than on slower geared machines.

However, for smaller tanks (below 3 or 4m in diameter), the fast moving jets maintain integrity to deliver impact cleaning. This means that the new FCJ cleaners can replace spray balls and achieve very significant water savings per cleaning cycle.

Two factors to consider Tank size As tanks increase in size, they require larger flow rate spray balls to rinse them.

The reach of static nozzles depends very much on the amount of fluid going through them. Also, the cleaning is performed by a fluid flowing down the walls of the tank, so a certain volume of fluid is required to achieve the necessary cascading. All this means that as tank diameter increases the flow through spray balls increases dramatically. The same is not true for impingement cleaners.

Even small 3mm nozzle machines running at low pressures achieve a cleaning jet length of up to several meters.

For smaller tanks (<1m in diameter) small spray balls with low flow rates will typically be sufficient. However, even the new fast cycle impingement cleaners may struggle to beat static nozzles in efficiency.

Even so, for tougher residues that would require a cleaning cycle of more than 20 minutes using static cleaners, the rotary jet cleaners may still be more water efficient and will certainly do the job quicker. As an example, FCJ cleaners running at low pressures (3 bar) can complete a cycle in about six minutes or under three minutes at higher (10 bar pressure).

As tank size increases, the benefits of the FCJ cleaners increase exponentially.

For tanks in the 2m diameter range rotary jet cleaners will almost always be significantly more water efficient than static cleaners. Only very light residues

An example of a new generation of tank cleaners – Orbitor Eco

that require a <5 minute clean with static spray balls would not be suitable for FCJ cleaners. If the tank is far above 3m in diameter, static spray balls will always use more water than FCJs and with anything above 5m they will normally be out of range for spray balls anyway.

Residue type Other than tank size, the residue type is the biggest factor when determining the amount of cleaning power required.

As noted earlier, static spray balls will break down tough residues eventually but require time to do so. Of course, for tougher residues this means that static spray balls become thirstier for water.

When tough residues are combined with larger tank sizes, the overall water consumption per cycle by static cleaners can increase significantly.

In contrast, even small nozzle impingement cleaners at low pressures can blast through tough residues. Of course, higher pressures are always advisable for sticky and heavily soiled tanks. However, this means that where a static nozzle may take 20 minutes to achieve cleaning, an impingement cleaner will do the job in a single cleaning cycle which can be well under five minutes. Additionally, as the flow rates are typically lower through impingement cleaners, not only is time saved but also water per minute is reduced, resulting in potentially huge efficiency gains.

Example 1 A 2m diameter tank with a moderate residue that needs a ½ inch BSP spray ball to run for 15 minutes to clean thoroughly. A typical flow rate at 2 bar pressure for such a spray ball would be 127l/min meaning 1,905l is required for cleaning. In contrast a 4 x 3mm nozzle FCJ running at 8 bar pressure would consume 78l/min and complete its cycle in about 3.2 minutes, meaning cleaning is completed with 250l. That is nearly 75% less water and 4.7 times as fast. So, even if the FCJ had to go through two or even three cycles, it would still be much more efficient.

Given that it is running at 8 bar, it is likely that a moderate residue would be cleaned with just a single cycle.

Example 2 A 4m diameter tank that has a light residue is washed down on a 10m cleaning cycle with a ¾” spray ball running at 2 bar. This has a flow rate of 310l/min, so cleaning requires 3,100l.

In contrast, a 4mm nozzle jet cleaner running at only 3 bar pressure could go through a cycle in 5.5 minutes, consuming 67l/min for a total water per cycle figure of only 369l. This is an eight-fold reduction in water consumption and the cleaning is completed nearly twice as fast.

Conclusions

How big are the savings?

The new fast cycle jet cleaners offer some potentially very large water savings as well as considerable time savings.

They will not be suitable for all rinse applications but for many tanks that were previously considered to be too small for impingement cleaning, it might be worth running an analysis to see what efficiencies can be achieved. Of course, any gains in water and time will need to be weighed against the cost of the jet cleaners, as they are more expensive than static spray balls. Furthermore, there might be some increased pumping costs as they may need to run at higher pressures. However, if water consumption per cycle can be reduced by a factor of five or more, then these additional costs will quickly be recouped. z

The amount of savings depends on the tank and residue, and is best illustrated with some examples.

This article was written by Ivan Zytynski, marketing director at the Spray Nozzle People Group. Visit: www.spray-nozzle.co.uk

For more information:

TANK CLEANING • SPRING 2017 31

TANK INDUSTRY EVENTS

Upcoming tank industry events April 2017 26-27

StocExpo Middle East Africa

Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates

ITCO Conference

Tank Container Village, Munich, Germany

May 2017 9-12

September 2017 14

ECTA’s Responsible Care Workshop

Brussels, Belgium

October 2017 4-5

Biofuels International Conference

Edinburgh, Scotland

November 2017 23

ECTA Annual Meeting 2017

Düsseldorf, Germany

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