Patent ID: 8562816

Claim:
A method for treating crude oil and refined products tank bottoms containing paraffin, comprising the following steps: a. moving tank bottom sludge out of a crude oil tank or refined products tank and into a mix tank, and mixing the sludge with a hydrocarbon diluent to create a first mixture; b. treating the mixture in the mix tank with a paraffin modifier chemical to create a second mixture; c. heating the second mixture in the mix tank to a predetermined temperature, so that the paraffin in the second mixture is transformed by the paraffin modifier chemical to an amorphous form; d. moving the second mixture from the mix tank to a shale-shaker at a second predetermined temperature to separate solids in the second mixture from the fluids in the second mixture to create a third mixture comprising the fluids; e. moving the third mixture which comprises recovered hydrocarbons and water to a weir box to separate the water from the recovered hydrocarbons; f. moving the recovered hydrocarbons from the weir box to a recovery oil tank.