Low Hydrocarbon Recovery
Low hydrocarbon recovery happens when tank sludge is treated as waste instead of evaluated as a potential resource. By understanding sludge composition and hydrocarbon properties before cleaning, TankScope helps teams recover more oil, reduce disposal volumes, and improve overall project economics.
The Problem
Every barrel of recoverable oil left in tank sludge is money sent to disposal.
When sludge composition is unknown, hydrocarbons are often classified as waste and removed without evaluating recovery potential. This increases disposal costs, eliminates recovery offsets, and drives up the net cost of tank cleaning projects.
The difference between treating sludge as waste versus treating it as a recoverable resource can significantly change project economics. Without data, recovery opportunities are missed before work even begins.
Operational Impact
Cost Impact
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Disposal fees for hydrocarbons that could have been recovered
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Lost product value sent to waste streams
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Higher net project costs without recovery offsets
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Processing approaches that are inefficient due to unknown material properties
Operational Impact
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Inefficient oil-water separation caused by unknown emulsion behaviour
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Processing delays from trial-and-error recovery methods
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Missed opportunities to return product to inventory
Environmental Impact
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Higher waste volumes than necessary
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Increased environmental footprint from disposal operations
What Causes Low Hydrocarbon Recovery
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Unknown composition of sludge layers (oil, water, emulsion, solids)
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No data on hydrocarbon quality or recovery potential
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Lack of emulsion analysis and separation requirements
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Generic processing methods not tailored to specific materials
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Assumption that all sludge is waste rather than a recoverable resource
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Contractor incentives focused on speed rather than recovery optimization
How This Is Commonly Managed Today
Standard recovery processes
Generic methods miss material-specific recovery opportunities
Trial-and-error processing
Consumes time and can permanently reduce recovery potential
Contractor-led recovery decisions
Speed and cost control often outweigh recovery optimization
Treating all sludge as waste
The simplest approach, but the highest cost and environmental impact
How TankScope Improves Hydrocarbon Recovery
TankScope identifies recovery potential before cleaning begins using verified material data and laboratory analysis.
Stakeholder-Specific Benefits
Hydrocarbon Recovery & Resource Optimization Teams
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​Data to maximize oil recovery from tank sludge
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Material-specific analysis supporting optimized processing
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Recovery parameters aligned to actual sludge properties
Budget Holders
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Recovery value to offset cleaning and disposal costs
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Reduced waste volumes and lower disposal fees
Environmental Teams
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Reduced waste generation through recovery optimization
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Data supporting more sustainable operations decisions
Depth profiles of Basin A (top) and Basin B (bottom), illustrating sludge depth and distribution.
Case Study
TankScope’s Tank Profiling replaced estimate-based planning with verified data at Flint Hills Resources’ Pine Bend Refinery. Verified sludge measurements enabled a revised cleaning plan that reduced costs and unlocked significant recovery value from a single crude tank.
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Total savings: $6.4M USD
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Direct cleaning cost savings: $2.6M (single tank)
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Incremental oil recovered: ~55,000 barrels worth $3.8M
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Estimated ≥6 ft vs. Actual ≤12 in (over 80% reduction)
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Revised cleaning plan successfully implemented based on verified assessment data
Questions We Get Often
What causes low hydrocarbon recovery in tank cleaning projects?
Low recovery usually results from treating sludge as waste, using generic processing methods, or lacking data on material composition and recovery potential.
How does TankScope identify recovery potential?
TankScope uses material characterization to measure oil, water, emulsion, and solids fractions and analyze hydrocarbon properties before cleaning begins.
What is the impact of not optimizing recovery?
Organizations pay disposal costs for material that could generate value. Over multiple tanks and cleaning cycles, this represents significant lost revenue.
How does TankScope improve hydrocarbon recovery outcomes?
By identifying recovery potential in advance, teams can plan appropriate processing methods, set realistic recovery targets, and avoid trial-and-error approaches.
What information does the recovery team receive?
Volume fractions, hydrocarbon properties, emulsion behaviour, recommended processing parameters, and projected recovery volumes.
When should recovery assessment be performed?
For planned outages, assessments are ideally completed months in advance. For problem tanks, assessment can be performed at any time to support recovery and sludge reduction planning.
Does this support RFPs or vendor selection?
Yes. Recovery data allows recovery requirements to be included in RFP scope and enables evaluation of vendor recovery approaches.
Stop paying to dispose of recoverable product.
Find out what’s in your sludge before cleaning begins.
1-888-417-0155 | info@tankscope.com