In the globalized trade and chemical logistics sectors, ISO Tanks (International Standard Tank Containers) are core equipment for liquid cargo transportation. Their internal cleanliness directly impacts cargo safety, environmental compliance, and transportation efficiency. Traditional manual cleaning methods, due to their low efficiency, significant safety hazards, and high risk of cross-contamination, are no longer sufficient to meet the stringent cleanliness and operational safety requirements of modern industry. ISO Tank automated cleaning systems, with their intelligent, end-to-end control and environmentally friendly design, have become a key technology for industry transformation and upgrading, widely used in chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries.
Technical Principles
The core of the ISO Tank automated cleaning system lies in its modular design and multi-technology integration. Through the coordinated operation of four major systems—cleaning, drying, waste gas and wastewater treatment, and electrical control—it achieves full automation from pretreatment to final inspection.
1. Cleaning System: Precise Coverage with High-Pressure Jetting and Rotating Nozzles
The cleaning module employs high-pressure water jet technology, equipped with 360-degree rotating nozzles. A high-pressure pump sprays water or chemical cleaning agents at a pressure of 100-700 bar onto the inner wall of the tank, creating a uniform impact force that effectively removes residues. For example, for hazardous chemical residues such as ethylene oxide, the system can automatically switch to corrosion-resistant nozzles and adjust the spray angle and pressure to ensure thorough cleaning. Some systems also integrate ultrasonic cleaning technology, using high-frequency vibration to accelerate the dissolution of chemical residues, further improving cleaning efficiency.
2. Drying System: Dual Guarantee of Hot Air Circulation and Vacuum Drying
After cleaning, the drying module raises the internal temperature of the tank to 80-120℃ through a hot air circulation system, while a vacuum pump extracts moisture for rapid drying. This design not only shortens drying time (by more than 60% compared to traditional methods) but also avoids microbial growth problems caused by residual moisture, making it particularly suitable for cleaning food-grade tanks.
3. Waste Gas and Wastewater Treatment System: Closed-Loop Control and Environmental Compliance
For volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and chemical-containing wastewater generated during the cleaning process, the system is equipped with activated carbon adsorption devices and neutralization treatment tanks. Exhaust gas is discharged after adsorption to meet standards, while wastewater is purified through processes such as pH adjustment, sedimentation, and filtration before reuse or compliant discharge, ensuring the entire cleaning process complies with international environmental standards.
4. Electrical Control System: Intelligent Monitoring and Remote Operation
The system uses a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) and a touchscreen human-machine interface to monitor parameters such as cleaning pressure, temperature, and liquid level in real time, and supports remote fault diagnosis and parameter adjustment. For example, when the system detects that the concentration of residue inside the tank exceeds the standard, it will automatically extend the cleaning time or increase the amount of chemical agent to ensure cleaning quality.
Core Advantages
1. Efficiency Improvement: Single Tank Cleaning Time Reduced to Within 2 Hours
Traditional manual cleaning takes 4-6 hours and requires multiple people to work together; while the automatic cleaning system, through the coordinated operation of high-pressure jetting and rotating nozzles, can reduce the single tank cleaning time to 1.5-2 hours, and eliminates the need for manual entry into the tank, significantly improving operational efficiency. For example, after introducing the automatic cleaning system, a chemical company's annual cleaning capacity increased from 5.000 tanks to 12.000 tanks, and equipment utilization increased by 140%.
2. Safety Guarantee: Eliminating the Risk of Manual Entry into the Tank
ISO tanks are enclosed spaces, posing safety hazards such as poisoning, suffocation, and slipping during manual cleaning. The automated cleaning system, through fully automated operation, completely eliminates the need for personnel to enter the tank. It is also equipped with gas detection devices to monitor the oxygen and combustible gas concentrations inside the tank in real time, ensuring a safe working environment.
3. Cost Savings: Reducing Chemical and Water Consumption by Over 50%
By precisely controlling the dosage and spray pressure of the cleaning agent, the system reduces chemical consumption by 30-50% compared to traditional methods. Simultaneously, wastewater reuse technology increases water resource utilization to over 85%. For a company cleaning 1000 tanks per year, this translates to annual savings of approximately 200.000 RMB in chemical costs and approximately 150.000 RMB in water costs.
4. Controllable Quality: Cleanliness Meets International Standards
The system has a built-in cleanliness detection module that uses a laser particle size analyzer or spectrometer to sample and test the cleaned tanks, ensuring that the residue concentration is below 0.1 mg/L (food grade standard) or 0.5 mg/L (chemical grade standard). Some systems also support data integration with third-party testing agencies, enabling traceability of cleaning quality.
Industry Applications
1. Chemical Industry: Precise Removal of Hazardous Chemical Residues
In chemical logistics, ISO tanks are commonly used to transport hazardous chemicals such as ethylene oxide, acrylic acid, and TDI (toluene diisocyanate). These substances are highly corrosive or toxic; if residues are not thoroughly removed, they may trigger chemical reactions or contaminate subsequent cargo. Automated cleaning systems, through corrosion-resistant nozzles, explosion-proof electrical design, and precise chemical dosing, ensure tank cleanliness meets UN31A (United Nations Standard for the Transport of Dangerous Goods) requirements. For example, when cleaning tanks transporting TDI, one company automatically injected a specialized solvent; through high-pressure jetting and ultrasonic synergy, the residue concentration was reduced from 5% to 0.02%, far below industry safety standards.
2. Food Industry: Microbial Control and Cross-Contamination Prevention
Food-grade ISO tanks must meet FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) standards. The use of chlorine-containing cleaning agents is strictly prohibited during the cleaning process, and thorough drying is essential to prevent bacterial growth. The automated cleaning system uses food-grade cleaning agents and employs hot air circulation and vacuum drying technology to ensure the internal dryness of the tank is below 5% RH. Simultaneously, an ultraviolet sterilization device further eliminates microbial risks. After a dairy company used this system to clean its milk transport tanks, the product's microbial test pass rate increased from 92% to 99.8%.
3. Pharmaceutical Industry: GMP Compliance and Cleaning Validation Support
The transportation of pharmaceutical raw materials and intermediates places extremely high demands on tank cleanliness, requiring compliance with GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. The automated cleaning system supports the generation of cleaning validation documents, recording key parameters such as cleaning time, temperature, and pressure, and can export data for regulatory review. For example, when cleaning tanks transporting vitamin C solution, a pharmaceutical company used a laser particle size analyzer to detect the particle size distribution of residues, ensuring the absence of particles larger than 10μm, meeting pharmaceutical production requirements.
Technological Challenges and Future Trends
Despite significant progress in ISO Tank automated cleaning systems, two major challenges remain: first, the cleaning efficiency for high-viscosity, easily solidified residues (such as asphalt and resin) needs further improvement; second, the diverse cleaning standards required by different industries necessitate more flexible modular configurations.
In the future, with the integration of IoT and AI technologies, cleaning systems will evolve towards intelligence and self-adaptation. For example, machine learning algorithms can analyze historical cleaning data to automatically optimize cleaning parameters; or AR (augmented reality) technology can be integrated to enable remote expert guidance and fault diagnosis. Furthermore, the development of green cleaning technologies (such as supercritical CO2 cleaning) will further reduce the use of chemical agents, driving the industry towards a more environmentally friendly transformation.
From manual to automated, from extensive to precise, the evolution of ISO Tank automated cleaning systems not only reflects technological upgrades but also embodies the profound pursuit of efficiency, safety, and environmental protection by industrial civilization. With the continued growth of global trade and increasingly stringent environmental regulations, this technology will play a crucial role in more fields, providing solid support for building a sustainable logistics system.
