Butterworth tank washing system

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A Butterworth nozzle head

The Butterworth tank cleaning system (English. Butterworth tank cleaning system) is a method used since the 1920s for the automated cleaning and bringing about a "gas-free" condition of oil tanks. The system, also known as the Butterworth tank washer or Butterworth machine , has established itself so sustainably in tanker shipping since its introduction that it has become a synonym for this type of tank cleaning, even though a number of other companies now offer comparable systems.

technology

A Butterworth tank washer basically consists of two vertically and horizontally rotating nozzles, sometimes versions with two pairs of nozzles are also used. They are lowered into the tank to be cleaned by a water supply pipe. As a rule, cold sea water is used for coarse cleaning; for good cleaning, the sea water is heated with steam in the second cleaning step. The sea water with the oil residues is pumped back into a special tank (settling tank). This is where the oil separates from the water and collects on the surface. In the cleaning operation, the hot or cold high-pressure water jets reach all tank surfaces, such as walls, bulkheads, ceilings and floors, as well as internal installations such as frames, stringers, girders, pipes or stairs through the slowly rotating nozzles.

history

In tanker shipping, the cargo tanks are usually washed between two loading trips. Until the introduction of an automated tank washing system, tanks were first exposed to hot steam in order to loosen the remains of the cargo and then flushed out by the crew with hot water. Arthur B. Butterworth developed a tank washer to make this strenuous, but above all dangerous, work superfluous with an automated tank cleaning system. The system was first patented in 1920 and marketed for the first time five years later with a newly founded company Butterworth System Inc. The tank washing machines were rented out through a global customer service network. In 1930 the company was sold to Standard Oil (Exxon Corporation) in New Jersey. Butterworth remained a subsidiary of Exxon until 1986, when it was sold to the Butterworth management team as part of a restructuring program. Today the company operates as Butterworth, Inc.

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