Apparatus for sludge removal

Abstract

A vehicle for the removal of sludge from the interior bottom of liquid storage tanks is disclosed. The vehicle includes a gathering header at the lead edge of the vehicle and a gathering arm extendable out over the header. The gathering arm reaches out and gathers sludge between the header and arm urging the sludge toward the header of the vehicle and the vehicle towards the sludge. The gathering header includes a floor mounted brass scraper and a cross feeding auger. The cross feeding auger in combination with the header body receives the material forced into the header by the gathering arm and directs it to a central portion of the header. Underlying the central portion of the header there is positioned a super charging auger series feeding a positive displacement pump. In operation, a small amount of cutter stock is introduced in the super charging auger to ensure lubricity of the positive displacement pump and a relatively large amount of cutter stock is introduced after the pump for dissolving sludge received into the discharge line. The vehicle discharges the dissolved sludge through the discharge line to a suitable container exterior of the storage tank. There results a light and portable sludge removing vehicle which can be passed in pieces through the manhole of a tank, assembled, and maneuvered without the loss of traction that has hindered similar vehicles in the past.