AEKS, a Croatian service company active throughout Europe with extensive experience in cleaning storage tanks used for storing crude oil, oil derivatives, process water and similar substances, has recently selected Gerotto's no-man-entry solutions to ensure safety for operators and to optimise site times.
The company has included Gerotto's tank cleaning system in its fleet, equipped with the 2 x 10 ft container solution. Due to this set-up, one container is dedicated to the power unit that powers the entire system, while the second container houses the ATEX Zone 1-certified control room with the workstation to manoeuvre the robot as a result of explosion-proof screens and actuators. The remotely controlled, fully hydronic robot is Gerotto's ATEX Zone 0 certified Lombrico S model. This ROV is a compact machine capable of entering a 600 mm manhole and removing material with a non-sparking metal auger, high-pressure nozzles to break up the material and a suction hose connected to an external vacuum truck.
A spokesperson for the company said: “At AEKS, we believe that safety, efficiency, and productivity should go hand-in-hand. Our no-man entry robotic cleaning system developed by Gerotto is aiding industrial cleaning by eliminating the need for personnel to enter confined spaces, significantly reducing the risk of accidents. Additionally, the system requires less manpower to clean tanks and other confined space areas, while still delivering precision and consistency. This means companies can minimise downtime, improve operational safety, and cut labour costs – all without sacrificing quality.”
AEKS was commissioned in 2024 to clean a tank with a fixed roof, owned by INA. The tank contained crude oil, deposited over approximately 10 years, which left approximately 1.5 m of material on the bottom to be removed. A large amount of mercury was detected inside. Before the robot could enter, the sediment level had to be lowered by a dilution process using water and suction that lasted about four weeks.
In approximately one week, 40 - 50 t of material was removed daily. This was achieved by allowing the entire staff to work in safety, without having to enter the tanker and managing all operations from the control room. Compared to the use of manpower, apart from the obvious inherent risk of working within an explosive gas saturated environment, it would have taken at least 2 weeks to remove all the sediment. Once the suction operations with the robot were completed, AEKS subsequently cleaned the tank with chemical solvents to prepare it to receive more material.