Planning
Planning of tank cleaning
Planning a tank cleaning operation is the key to success. A good preparation of the cleaning operation will avoid tank rejections as well as incidents during the operation.
Planning of tank cleaning should start with consideration of the following items:
- Physical Properties and Characteristics of the product to be cleaned.
- Requirements of the product to be loaded
- Tank coating
- Available equipment
- Surrounding conditions
- Don’t focus only on tank cleaning
- Control of the result
Tank cleaning recipe
After careful review of the properties, conditions and equipment as mentioned above the cleaning steps can be planned in detail.
The resulting tank cleaning recipe is divided into tank cleaning steps. Each step consists of the operating parameters, the cleaner and the cleaning medium and additional remarks.
The operating parameters are:
Method 
Butterworth, Drain, Gas free, Injection, Recirculation, Rinse, Steam, Vent/Mop/Dry, Ventilation. More details about cleaning methods
Cleaning Time 
The duration of each step is in minutes or hours. Obviously the required cleaning time varies with the available hardware and the cargo tank size and design. The times indicated in the procedure are for a typical stainless steel tank of some 1000M3 volume. If the tank to be cleaned has a much different size, the cleaning times must be increased or decreased accordingly.
Temperature 
Ambient means heating is not required. If an elevated temperature is required, this is indicated in ranges (from-to) in °C.
Medium 
Demineralized water, Fresh water, Steam, Water free Solvents, Sea Water.
Cleaning agent 
Some cargoes require the use of a cleaning agent for efficient cleaning. Most cleaning agents are additives that are used in combination with water to improve the water solubility of the cargo to be cleaned. A variety of cleaning agents are available for most applications, meaning there will often be different types of cleaning agent in the same procedure. Cleaning agents should be selected according to experience and availability. Cleaning agents must be IMO approved. List of cleaning agents
Remarks 
Additional explanatory details that do not fit into the other step parameters.
Control of the result 
Testing
After tank cleaning has been accomplished it is mandatory to check the result. The intensity of the check depends on the cleanliness standard of the next cargo that must be achieved.
Tank Inspection
To verify the result of the cleaning operation the tank and all other equipment that was in contact with the cargo must be inspected. This can only be performed by entering the tank.
