Patent ID: 8721166
Filing Date: 2014-05-13
Classification: B01F,B02C,B08B,B09B,B60P,B65G,F23G

Abstract:
1. A method of evacuating a refinery tank containing waste with solid constituents, the method comprising: inserting an agitator on a boom through a first opening on a side of the refinery tank, the first opening having been cut in the refinery tank above a top surface of waste in the refinery tank, and wherein a bottom edge of the opening is spaced a number of feet from a bottom of the refinery tank; agitating waste in a first area of the refinery tank to cause the waste in the first area to have a first viscosity lower than a second viscosity of waste in a second area at a periphery of the first area; removing agitated waste from the first area while maintaining the waste of the second viscosity in the second area, thereby forming a safe room in the refinery tank, wherein a floor of the safe room is substantially coincident with the bottom of the refinery tank; expanding the first opening toward the floor of the safe room to enable entry of a movable excavator into the safe room of the refinery tank; and removing waste of the second viscosity from the second area of the refinery tank using the movable excavator.