Tank & vessel cleaning

Tank entry is one of the most dangerous jobs on any site, so we treat it that way. Every entry starts with a Job Risk Analysis, and every crew member is trained in confined space entry and rescue, 40-hour HAZWOPER and lockout/tagout. In some cases we can do no-entry tank cleaning and keep people out of the tank entirely.

USFS handles permitting, compliance, hole watch, continuous air monitoring, transportation and disposal of everything recovered. With our own wet and dry vacuum trucks, it's a turnkey job.

Bulk chemical and fuel terminals
Industrial process tanks
Sumps, pits and trenches
Compressors and oil-water separators
Oilfield production and storage tanks

Oilfield tank batteries & storage tanks

In the oilfield that means tank batteries and storage tanks from 210 bbl up to 40,000 bbl, holding saltwater, crude, or paraffin and sludge too thick to pump. Crews bring a portable steam unit, hot water pressure washers and hot brine to break it down before the vacuum truck pulls it. For one Texas state agency we clean 10 to 20 tanks a week, and have since 2017. See the project

Decontamination, removal and demolition

When a tank is coming out of service, it has to be cleaned before it can be cut, moved or scrapped. USFS handles the whole sequence: decontamination, demolition, removal and disposal, with our own trucks hauling the waste and the steel. If the tank carries NORM scale, we're licensed to handle that too.

The same work scales up to decontamination and demolition of manufacturing plants and structures. Impacted surfaces are cleaned with non-hazardous, biodegradable degreasing agents.

Construction

The same crews can build and set replacement tanks, so one contractor takes the site from old equipment out to new equipment running.

Tank & vessel cleaning, decontamination & demolition