New Product Development ramps up as Re-Gen Robotics positions itself for next phase of growth

Re-Gen Robotics is preparing for the launch of its next product generation in terms of its service offering, later this year. The proven successes of its current robotic equipment and the focus on adding more value in the industry with new technologies, is laying the foundation for future business growth.

The company, founded in 2018, is already a leader in the Oil & Gas terminal sector with its intelligent and patented no man entry tank cleaning technologies. Re-Gen Robotics counts numerous global oil majors as customers, and the company is working hard to strengthen further its leadership position and conquer new markets.

Re-Gen Robotics continues to think bigger with this current round of NPD projects and is reinforcing its leadership in the tank cleaning sector by delivering the most efficient, safe, and environmentally friendly cleaning process available on the market. Robotic tank cleaning features a closed loop cleaning circuit, permitting highly efficient hydrocarbon recovery to protect the environment.

Concentrating the team’s expertise on two core challenges, they have committed to further increasing the speed and efficiency of de-sludging heavy crude tanks and to reclaiming as much valuable hydrocarbon material from the crude sludge as possible.

Re-Gen Robotics’ Managing Director Aidan Doherty says that the team; “is busy designing new cleaning heads for the ATEX robot including a steam injection head which will inject steam into heavy crude materials in order to heat it and liquify it. This will ensure the crude material is pumpable and will help increase the spend and efficiency of the tank de-sludge.

“We are also working on a number of specific redesign elements to increase efficiency with regards to the dedicated control room that will decrease mobilisation time at site ensuring we set up more efficiently and that every clean, no matter what category of tank is remotely controlled with permanent visual connection, he said.

Increased speed and efficiency are being delivered through mixed injection systems which allow Robotics operators to use not just cutting agent and hot water in order to improve the pumpability of oily sludges, but also in injection of steam. This introduction of more heat, together with efficient methods to promote the transfer of that heat to the sludge which is being mobilised, form one aspect of the Robotics team’s strategy for improved customer service.

The Re-Gen Robotics team have also identified the potential to offer their clients increased benefits by developing an economically useful alternative to the conventional disposal of petroleum sludge, with reduced impact on the environment. Through the development of innovative disposal approaches and new applications for petroleum sludge, Re-Gen Robotics believes this disposal problem can be overcome.

Recycling has proven to be an important alternative to simple disposal of petroleum sludge. Recycling allows the reprocessing and reformulation of oily sludge for energy recovery. It will positively reduce the volume of hazardous petroleum sludge from storage tanks and decrease environmental pollution and the economic consumption of non-renewable energy resources.

At present Re-Gen Robotics’ R&D Team are investigating and trialling a type of vertical centrifuge system which will enable their crews to separate solids and liquids to reduce waste volume for disposal and recover viable hydrocarbon materials for clients use.

Centrifugation treatment is an advanced, clean and efficient method for petroleum sludge treatment, which does not require high energy consumption. In this method a pre-treated petroleum sludge is drawn through high-speed rotating equipment with strong centrifugal forces to break up its elements according to their different densities. Pre-treatment of the sludge is carried out to reduce its viscosity and enhance the centrifugation performance and save energy.

Their NPD Department has given Re-Gen Robotics greater agility in the development of new products and prototyping and will push even further their research around the different technologies they can use to offer breakthrough tank cleaning technology that will add value to their customers’ bottom line.

According to Mr Doherty, they are developing a growing range of approaches which will enable them to tackle a wider range of sludge compositions rapidly and effectively; “Since we began offering our services in 2019, oil companies that we have partnered with have appreciated and recognised our considerable technical knowledge and on the job expertise and they have full trust in us to continue to engineer the no man entry, autonomous tank cleaning robots of the future.

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