Re-Gen Robotics, sister company of Re-Gen Waste Ltd, one of Europe’s most advanced materials recovery facilities, has launched the first and only remotely controlled, ‘No Man Entry’ robotic tank cleaning company in the British Isles.

Re-Gen Robotics has invested £1.5M in two purpose-built machines; one specially designed to clean large scale storage tanks and a second, lightweight ROV for underground and confined storage tanks and vessels. This unit is suitable for use on smaller sites, such as petrol forecourts, interceptors and small vessels.

The sophisticated, full Zone 0 explosion proof (“Ex 0”) robot-based ROV system can eradicate industry fatalities within tanks and vessels in the British Isles, provide higher levels of safety and improve productivity in the niche industrial tank cleaning sector. There is on average, 25 people killed in confined spaces in the UK and Ireland each year.

In order to remain efficient and compliant, these large-scale storage facilities require their tanks periodically cleaning, this involves the removal of waste product or sludges. These storage vessels are classified as ‘confined spaces’ and any human entry to clean them represents a significant risk to life, even when the operatives are fully trained and appropriately protected. There are significant advantages to these facilities by not having to plan for a ‘confined space’ entry and all of the associated permitry and support.

Re-Gen Robotic’s unique cleaning system is fully compliant with existing safety legislation and can reduce cleaning time by up to 45 per cent, significantly decreasing downtime and loss of production whilst the vessels are not operational. This has the potential to save the petrochemical industry across Ireland & UK millions of pounds per year.

Fintan Duffy, Managing Director of Re-Gen Robotics said: “Traditionally, personnel entering into confined spaces to perform cleaning prior to inspections or product changes has been the only way to implement a detailed assessment or clean. There are inherent risks to entering these highly hazardous spaces and although safety regulations and standards are high, occasionally accidents do and continue to occur, as the industry fundamentally hosts hostile and highly toxic environments.

“Every year around 25 people in the Ireland and UK lose their lives working in confined spaces. Exposure to hazardous petrochemicals, heat stress and slips or falls are the main risks faced by workers who manually clean these tanks and vessels.

“At Re-Gen we place a high premium on workplace safety and with the introduction of our exclusive robotic cleaning system, we aim to be the market leader in safe, reliable, sustainable industrial cleaning. Using our unique state of the art equipment, our employees are not compelled to enter confined spaces, to manually clean tanks and vessels in refineries and other process.”

Health and safety legislation currently stipulates that ‘a person shall not carry out work in confined spaces if it is reasonably practical that it could be avoided’.

Mr Duffy cautioned that; “Companies cannot afford to be negligent where human life is concerned. As well as the obvious tragedy and impact on family when a life is lost, or injury caused, there is a negative impact to companies associated with loss of life through confined space working; there is damage to organisational reputation, company and shareholder value and the risk of corporate manslaughter charges to consider.

“So, when the need for human cleaning operatives to enter confined spaces is eliminated, so too is the risk to life.

“At no time during the Re-Gen Robotics cleaning process will there be a need for human presence within the confined space. Our technical operator remains a safe distance away in the Zone 2 control unit, where they can monitor activity and progress through a series of ATEX cameras fixed to the equipment placed inside the vessel being cleaned.

“There is no human exposure to sludge or waste materials during the cleaning process. Once cleaning is complete, the machine safely exits the container via its ramp and is returned to the control unit.

“At Re-Gen Robotics what we have created is truly game changing conditions for the oil industry. The economic, environmental and safety benefits are overwhelming and the market is embracing our innovation,” Mr Duffy said.

Learn more at www.regenrobotics.com