Gerotto Robotics selected for underground tank cleaning in Hungary

GRP has used Gerotto’s Lombrico FTC, a task-based ATEX zone 0 robot that is engineered to enter up to 400 mm manholes and perform tank cleaning duties in underground tanks. The moveable arm is built to mount three rotating water nozzles that can pump water with an adjustable flow rate of 8 - 60 l/min. at 5 - 200 bar. Thanks to its small dimensions and weight (less than 130 kg) it can be easily deployed in every petrol station.

Tank cleaning operations are usually performed manually. The decision to use robotic tank cleaning has reduced the tank cleaning time by 33%: from 1.5 hours for manual cleaning to 1 hour using robotics. For each tank, 300 l of residue has been cleaned and reclaimed, minimising environmental footprint, and just three workers have been employed.

The adoption of Gerotto’s robotic cleaning solutions produced measurable and immediate benefits:

• Improved safety: zero human entry into confined and hazardous spaces.
• Continuous work cycles without operator fatigue.
• Lower exposure to hazardous substances for personnel.
• Faster execution times: approximately 1 hour per tank, significantly reducing downtime.
• Material recovery: a total of 300 l of residues per tank were reclaimed, minimizing waste generation and environmental impact.

The technology also enabled downstream operations, such as coating applications, to start sooner, accelerating the entire maintenance schedule.

Kajtár Máté, CEO of GRP Plasticorr Ltd, said: “We work in a very narrow industry, where, based on my experience, it is difficult to find partners with whom we do not immediately become competitors, but with whom we can work together on future projects. With Gerotto, however, we immediately had a good fit and to this day we are able to work together in a way that is future-proof and pays off for both parties in the long-term. Our goal is common, which is to make this dangerous industry as safe as possible while continuing to deliver quality work. If we use automation and digitalisation for good in this way, then I am proud to lead GRP in this direction in the future and I believe that this is the right strategy.”

Read the article online at: https://www.tanksterminals.com/storage-tanks/02072026/gerotto-robotics-selected-for-underground-tank-cleaning-in-hungary/