M-I SWACO builds on its  field-proven AUTOMATIC  TANK CLEANING LITE (ATC)  technology to provide the  industry with a permanently  installed mud tank  cleaning system for  offshore installations.  The ATC LITE, which can also be truck mounted for land based  operations, delivers the same  waste reduction efficiencies  by using only 6.5m³ (41bbls) of  wash water to clean multiple  tanks. 

The obvious QHSE benefit  is that man entry into tanks  is minimized or eliminated.  ATC LITE is uniquely engineered for a  range of mud tank cleaning and recycling  applications, including long-term or  permanent installation aboard offshore rigs  and supply vessels. The ATC LITE is the only  technology of its kind adaptable as a trailer-mounted rental unit for cleaning oil and  water-base mud tanks on onshore drilling  rigs. In addition, ATC LITE is designed to  enable fixed installation at liquid mud plants.

Improved safety - Little or no confined-space entry

Reduced personnel required - Easy to operate with a small crew

Minimized downtime during cleaning process - Decreased cleaning time by 70%

How it works

ATC technology employs tank-cleaning machines (TCMs) that are optimally positioned inside the tank. The machines are programmed based on the cleaning pattern and analysis of tank geometry. The portable ATC technology is brought onboard when the cleaning job is going to take place. The TCMs are connected to the ATC technology skid, which features pumps that send a mixture of surfactants and water to the TCMs.

Powerful water jets clean every surface inside the tank following the specially programmed cleaning pattern. A portable slop pump or rig-tank pumps transfer the slop back to a washwater recycling unit inside the ATC technology. There, the liquid phase is separated from the solids. Liquid is recycled to the TCMs for reuse as cleaning fluid until it becomes too contaminated by fine solids.

At the end of the operation, cleaning fluid and solid waste—predominantly barite—are safely removed from the installation or recycled to build new mud volume. In cases where an overboard permit is in place, the process is simplified.

ATC technology also comprises customized cleaning chemistry for the specific mud type. The closed-loop system also reuses fluid by separating solids from the liquid. The 44 bbl of water and cleaning liquid prepared at the outset of the cleaning operation is used to clean several tanks. Once fine solids have settled out in the waste container, the liquid can be reused.