System for Automated Vessel Cleaning in a Sensitive Environment

To optimize and secure its maintenance operations, a major player in the defense industry commissioned IRIAN MECATRONICS. The mission was to design and manufacture a complete set of machines for cleaning vessels used in the manufacturing of a sensitive energetic product. Our integrated solution, designed for an ATEX environment, aims to increase productivity, improve ergonomics, and ensure operator safety.

The manual cleaning of the production vessels presented several major challenges, requiring a complete process overhaul:

Productivity and Repeatability: The manual process was time-consuming and lacked repeatability, directly impacting production cycles.
Operator Safety: Handling solvents and exposure to product residue required a solution that limited direct operator contact.
Ergonomics: Handling heavy parts, such as the bottom valve, required adapted tools to reduce physical strain.
Adaptability: The solution needed to be compatible with several vessel models of different sizes (150 and 420 gallons).
ATEX Environment: All equipment had to be designed to operate safely in a potentially explosive atmosphere.

Our engineering department designed an ecosystem of custom-made machines, creating a complete and coherent cleaning line:

Vessel Wall Cleaning Machine: An automatic machine forms the core of the system. Its cleaning head, equipped with conductive brushes, adapts to the vessel’s diameter. Spray nozzles and a cover connected to a ventilation system ensure efficient and safe cleaning in an ATEX environment.
Bottom Valve Disassembly/Assembly Tooling: A mobile chassis integrates a self-contained hydraulic power unit and a cylinder for the effortless disassembly and reassembly of the bottom valve, drastically improving ergonomics.
Gooseneck Cleaning Machine: A semi-automatic system with brushes, scrapers, and a rotating washing head moves inside the gooseneck pipe for a thorough cleaning. The system includes a solvent recirculation and settling tank.
Ergonomic Workstation: A custom workstation with a stainless-steel surface and an extraction back panel was designed for the safe cleaning of the bottom valves, with an extraction speed compliant with safety recommendations.