Case study – Underground tanks: fuel decontamination using Antara® mobile skids
"Regain control over the quality of stored diesel fuel, without entering the tank, without hydrocleaning, without stopping operations."
An operator uses several 30–35 m³ underground tanks to supply trucks and machinery. For several months now:
- Repeated clogging of filters
- Injector failures
- Power losses
- Operational shutdowns
- Overuse of filters
The suspected cause: increasing contamination of underground tanks and distribution systems.
A series of analyses is carried out on the distribution outlet and in the underground tanks.
- High presence of particles and debris
- Presence of free water in the tank (risk of corrosion, bacteria, and fuel degradation)
- ISO 4406 code before treatment: 23/22/20 (excluding truck injection specifications)
- Distribution already contaminated when leaving the nozzles
The distribution system is also contaminated. When it leaves the nozzle, the fuel still contains particles, which cause filter clogging and injector failure.
- Dedicated in-line filtration on distribution
- Recirculation via mobile skid, without stopping operation
- Reduction in fuel quality-related incidents
Result: clean and stable distribution.
Restore fuel quality to meet injection requirements, without draining tanks, without heavy hydrocleaning, without entering tanks, without stopping operations.
Antara® mobile skid deployed to successively decontaminate tanks and secure distribution.
- Hybris®: high-efficiency filtration of fine particles
- Calista®: water separation/filtration in a single pass (free water)
- Closed-loop recirculation without human input
- ≈ 58 min of treatment on the most critical tank
- ISO 4406 code after treatment: 17/15/12 (injection class)
- Elimination of off-peaks and stabilization of fuel quality
- No fuel drain
- No site downtime
- Traitement total < 0,5 journée
Comparison of available options for treating pollution in underground tanks:
| Criterion | Heavy hydrocleaning | Competing mobile solutions | Antara® mobile skid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draining fuel | Yes | Often | No |
| Cessation of operations | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Human entry into tanks | Yes (high risk) | Limited | No |
| Open water treatment + particles | Partial | Variable | Complete (Hybris® + Calista®) |
| Final quality ISO 4406 | Not guaranteed | Variable | 17/15/12 |
"Clean tanks without entering them, without hydrocleaning, without interruption."
To explore our other configurations (fixed skids, multi-tank solutions, continuous polishing), check out our Antara® fuel decontamination solutions .
