Tank Cleaning and Container Cleaning With Ultra-High-Pressure Water

The system pressure builds as the high-pressure pump forces water against the resistance of the nozzle. Inside the nozzle of the cleaning tool, this pressure converts into jet velocity, and on impact with the vessel wall, that velocity converts back into impact pressure. This impact pressure mechanically loosens product residues, encrustations, and deposits from the interior vessel wall. During tank interior cleaning, a pneumatically driven tank cleaning head handles this task. It is lowered into the tank through a roof or manhole opening and works the interior surface from top to bottom with rotating nozzles, so no personnel need to enter the vessel.

Industrial tank cleaning with ultra-high-pressure water follows a simple rule: pressure determines whether a deposit can be loosened at all, while flow rate determines how quickly the surface gets covered. Anyone looking to increase cleaning output usually gets there more economically by raising flow rate than by raising pressure alone. The reason lies in the physics of jet force, or impulse flow. Doubling the impact effect on the vessel wall requires doubling either the water mass or its velocity. At a constant flow rate with a correspondingly adjusted nozzle, pressure would need to quadruple to achieve the same result, which drives up wear on the nozzle and pump disproportionately. On large tanks with corresponding reach requirements, the ratio of pressure to flow rate determines the economic cleaning outcome, not the pressure value alone.

Depending on the residue inside the vessel, such as baked-on product remains, oil films, or mineral deposits, the effective working pressure varies. KAMAT’s modular system allows pump and tool to be matched to the specific type of buildup and vessel size.

Tanks and containers are used across nearly every process industry, for storage, reaction, or intermediate buffering of media. Depending on where they’re deployed, product residues, encrustations, or mineral deposits build up on the interior wall, while corrosion, old coatings, and environmental exposure attack the exterior shell. Both areas call for different tools, pressures, and flow rates. On the inside, complete surface coverage without shadow zones matters most. On the outside, reach and safe handling at height take priority. KAMAT divides tank cleaning into two application areas, each with its own tool configuration.

Tank interior cleaning removes residue directly from the vessel’s inner wall. The cleaning tool is inserted through an opening or manhole and works the interior surface systematically, so personnel never have to enter the tank.

• Storage tanks, reactor tanks, and process vessels: tank cleaning removes product residue in the chemical and petrochemical industries, including cases where the same vessel handles frequently changing media.
• Residue removal without chemicals: water-only cleaning ensures no cleaning agent residue ends up in the process or in the next product stored in the vessel.
• Preparation for inspection and maintenance: clean surfaces are the precondition for wall thickness measurement, leak testing, or applying new coatings.

Heat exchangers and boiler systems also build up deposits during operation. Boiler cleaning with high-pressure water removes these residues using the same tools as tank cleaning.

Exterior cleaning removes contamination, old coatings, and corrosion from the vessel shell. Unlike interior cleaning, tool selection and working method here depend mainly on the tank’s height and accessibility.

• Corrosion protection prep: old coatings and rust are removed to prepare the surface for a new protective coat.
• Visual upkeep: cleaning tank farms preserves the value of the facility.
• Cleaning at height: for large standing tanks, accessibility, working height, and tool reach determine whether telescopic lances or mobile systems are used.
• Piping and fittings around the tank: adjacent equipment is treated in the same work step.

In a storage facility for liquid process chemicals, a 20-meter-diameter storage tank has to be fully cleared of adhering residue before switching to a new product. For this job, a KAMAT high-pressure pump delivering up to 40 l/min at 1,000 bar is used, powered by a KAMJET electric high-pressure unit with an ATEX-compliant electric drive. A pneumatically driven tank cleaning head is lowered through the roof opening and cleans the interior wall in several passes from top to bottom, without requiring personnel to enter the vessel. The resulting process water can be collected, treated, and reused in a closed loop, while separated residue is disposed of properly.

Tank cleaning places different demands on tools and drive systems depending on vessel size, residue type, and location, ranging from mobile use at a tank farm to a fixed installation at a large facility. KAMAT provides tool, drive, and pump unit as a matched system that adapts to each task through its modular platform.

• Pneumatically driven tank cleaning head: for unmanned tank interior cleaning, the tank cleaning head is lowered through a roof or manhole opening and cleans the interior of large vessels with rotating nozzles, without requiring personnel to enter.
• RotoLance high-pressure spray lance: the hand-guided rotary lance suits exterior cleaning, touch-up work, and smaller containers where the operator can reach the working area directly.
• High-pressure surface cleaners and telescopic solutions: these tools from KAMAT’s water tool lineup handle exterior cleaning on tall tanks.
• Triplex and quintuplex plunger pumps: they supply the drive power and are sized according to vessel size, residue type, and required cleaning speed.
• Pump skids: available with diesel or electric drive, as a mobile trailer for flexible use at a tank farm or as a skid for fixed installation at the facility.
• ATEX certification: a certified version is available for hazardous material tanks and explosion-risk areas.
• Modular system: it combines pump, unit, and tool into a matched solution, with interchangeable components across sizes that simplify spare parts stocking, shorten lead times, and reduce service effort.

Compared with chemical or manual cleaning methods, tank cleaning with high-pressure water offers several technical and economic advantages that matter most on large, frequently used vessels.

• Chemical-free: cleaning uses pure water, so no cleaning agent residue remains in the vessel and no wastewater is contaminated with additives.
• Gentle on materials: pressure, nozzle, and distance are set so that residue and old coatings are removed while the vessel wall stays undamaged.
• Water treatment possible: the resulting process water can be collected, treated, and reused in a closed loop, while separated residue is disposed of properly.
• Wide pressure range up to 4,000 bar: because KAMAT’s pump portfolio covers the full range up to 4,000 bar, a system can be configured for any level of contamination, from a single source and with shared spare parts.