Sludge on the bottom of crude oil storage tanks occupies storage space and affects the storage and transportation of petroleum products. Also, organic and inorganic substances in the sludge may negatively affect the quality and stability of the petroleum product and increase the oxidation and corrosion rate of the petroleum product. Therefore, regular cleaning of sludge on the bottom of the storage tank is essential. On the other hand, cleaning the sludge can increase the life of the storage tanks, thereby reducing corrosion and damage to equipment, and protecting the environment and personnel health.

In most oil tanks, cleaning is done manually, which has limitations and problems such as difficulty in cleaning viscous petroleum compounds, safety hazards for workers during work, environmental pollution, longer time and higher cost. However, the mechanical method of cleaning oil tanks does not have many of the limitations of the manual method and is cost-effective in terms of time and cost.