Refinery

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Clean Harbors is the only single source, full-service provider to offer comprehensive pigging services and "Smart pig" inspection technology for refinery and plant processes. 

Internal buildup of deposits, which decreases throughput and thermal efficiency, is a common problem for refineries and chemical plants. Clean Harbors provides a safe, fast and environmentally friendly approach to cleaning the interior walls of fired heater tubes and pipelines through our pigging and decoking services. 

Proprietary Processes and Equipment

The closed loop process uses a high volume, low pressure centrifugal pumping system to propel our patented bi-directional pigs through pipes and coils for cleaning. Closed loop pigging minimizes equipment downtime and is more efficient and less damaging to pipes than steam air decoking. All removed material can be contained for disposal or analysis.  

Download Fact Sheet (Pigging and Decoking Services)

The Clean Harbors Difference

• More than a dozen pigging patents, including our patented soft core pig design
• The world’s largest fleet of twin-pump units, available 24/7
• Our “Smart pig” technology, which determines tube wall thickness and identifies potential issues with the coils after a pigging decoke

With highly skilled staff, a vast equipment inventory and more than 35 years of experience, Clean Harbors provides a wide range of Industrial and Specialty Services throughout North America.

We safely and efficiently manage hazardous, non-hazardous, wet and dry materials utilizing specialized equipment and techniques.

Clean Harbors Completes Acquisition of HydroChemPSC

In 2021, we acquired HydroChemPSC, a leading U.S. provider of industrial cleaning, specialty maintenance and utilities services. Its services are built around providing solutions to customers focused on cleaning, maintenance and environmental compliance of essential, mission critical equipment and infrastructure. In 2022, HydroChemPSC was rebranded to HPC Industrial. Read on to learn more about our enhanced capabilities.

Our services include:

• Industrial field services
• Pigging and decoking
• Chemical cleaning
• Hands Free™ technologies
• High-pressure services such as cold cutting, dry ice blasting, ultrasonic cleaning and exchanger, line, vessel and tank cleaning
• Dewatering and materials processing
• Outage and turnaround services
• Pipeline coatings services
• Hydro Excavation
• Liquid/Dry vacuuming
• Chemical hauling
• Ultrasonic cleaning
• DryAsh™
• Re-Source Solutions

Clean Harbors High-Pressure Services utilize the latest automated water blasting equipment to remove unwanted deposits from various process vessels, tanks and lines.

It’s overwhelming to consider all of the equipment—from boilers and condensers to tanks and reactors—​that must be kept clean and free of deposits in order to function properly. Clean Harbors offers a full line of High-Pressure Services for cleaning these items and process equipment of all types. These services include:

• Cold cutting 
• Dry ice blasting 
• Ultrasonic cleaning
• Exchanger cleaning
• Line cleaning
• Vessel and tank cleaning

Our expert staff selects the high pressure technique that’s optimal for each type of equipment and dispose of any resulting wastes. Our decades of experience in chemical cleaning, along with our vast equipment inventory and highly skilled personnel, make Clean Harbors the natural choice for your high-pressure service needs.

We are a market leader in providing innovative technology in the industrial cleaning market, with expanded hands-free automation capability that further improves safety and efficiency. Learn more about our hands-free technologies >

Download Fact Sheet (High-Pressure Services)

With more than 35 years of experience, Clean Harbors has the expertise and equipment to safely perform any Chemical Cleaning projects.

Our staff is highly skilled at planning and formulating chemical solutions for your cleaning project. Whether in the form of liquid, foam, vapor-phasing cascading or circulation, we incorporate the proper chemistry to eliminate deposits and scaling and maintain the integrity of the system being cleaned. You’ll profit from reduced downtime and less process variation.

Chemical Cleaning Treatments

We commonly use the following chemical cleaning treatments:

• Alkaline/solvent wash for hydrocarbon sludge removal from process equipment
• Acid/chelant treatment for scale buildup on the inside of boiler pipes and tubes or cooling water service
• Safe and non-toxic form of enzyme-based cleaning 
• Safe and non-toxic form of enzyme-based, steam-assisted decontamination

In addition to performing the cleaning, Clean Harbors can contain, transport and dispose of all waste generated from the chemical cleaning process. In some cases, generated waste can be conditioned on-site during cleaning to meet your on-site treatment needs. This turnkey approach is unique to Clean Harbors and a major advantage for our Chemical Cleaning clients.

Download Fact Sheet (Chemical Cleaning Services)
Chemical Accident Prevention Provisions

Clean Harbors provides Dewatering and Materials Processing services to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment systems and crude tanks—​while producing a cost benefit to our end customer.

Surface impoundments and storage tanks containing built-up sludge can limit the effectiveness of your wastewater treatment system. Clean Harbors can safely remove and process the sludge and reduce the volume of waste with specialized dewatering and dredging equipment. This process results in improved efficiency of your wastewater treatment system and significant cost savings. 

Download Fact Sheet (Onsite Material Processing Services)

The Clean Harbors Difference

• Cutting-edge dredging and dewatering equipment for precise waste removal and high volume, continuous processing
• Resource recovery through our mobile thermal treatment units
• EH&S support, including the design of vapor control plans to meet air emissions guidelines

Dredging and dewatering may be typical industrial tasks, but Clean Harbors expertise, equipment and turnkey abilities are anything but common.

Clean Harbors Outage and Turnaround specialists provide industrial cleaning during planned or unplanned shutdowns of a process unit or plant to perform maintenance, overhaul and repairs.

Outages and shutdowns disrupt production and affect your bottom line. But Clean Harbors has the manpower, expertise and equipment to get your process or facility back up and running in the shortest possible time, within budget and without incident.

Our Outage and Turnaround Services

• Vacuum services
• Internal pipe inspection
• High pressure services (hydro jetting, hydro blasting, etc.)
• Condenser and heat exchanger tube cleaning (hydro lazing)
• Chemical cleaning
• Pipe cleaning and removal
• Boiler cleaning
• Pigging and decoking
• Waste disposal

Why choose Clean Harbors? We leverage our extensive experience, skilled staff and vast equipment inventory to provide the quickest, safest and most effective outage and turnaround services possible.

Download Fact Sheet (Outage and Turnaround Support Services)

With more than 200 locations in North America, Clean Harbors has the manpower, equipment and technical expertise to manage any size environmental emergency on land or water.

When evaluating emergency response companies, know that Clean Harbors can rapidly deploy experienced, fully certified workers to meet the needs of any incident in the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico.

• Emergency spill clean up
• Over-the-road incidents 
• Punctured lines 
• Tank overflows 
• Leaking drums 
• Saddle tank spills 
• Large pipeline ruptures 
• Mercury spills
• Biological and infectious materials 
• Ship groundings 
• Tanker truck rollovers 
• Chemical and hazardous material spills 
• Oil spills
• Hurricane, earthquake and storm damage 
• Emergency lab packs
• Homeland security and terrorist attack responses
• Releases in warehouses and distribution centers
• Excavation of buried drums and cylinders

Download Clean Harbors Emergency Response Resource Book
Download Clean Harbors Emergency Response Resource Book for Canada
Download Emergency Response Brochure
Download Fact Sheet (Emergency Response Services)
Download Fact Sheet (Emergency Operations Center)
Download Fact Sheet (Bird Flu Rapid Response Services)

Rapid Response and Containment

Varying by the response, spills typically can be contained within the first few hours, with minimal remediation in the next 48 hours. Clean Harbors works under all local, state and federal guidelines (EPA, OSHA, USCG, etc.) when performing containment and cleanup. Waste for off-site disposal is packaged and prepared for shipment to a waste treatment and disposal facility. 

Emergency Preparedness

Clean Harbors Emergency Response experts can provide guidance on emergency management, operations, planning, logistics and more. Our Standby Emergency Response Coverage ensures that you have the necessary coverage and response in the event of an environmental emergency.

Oil Spill Removal Organization (OSRO)

Under the U.S. Coast Guard’s OSRO Classification Program, Clean Harbors holds Captain of the Port ratings for facilities and vessels in 56 ports throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. 

Emergency Operations Center

Clean Harbors operates an Emergency Operations Center where duty operators certified in DOT and RCRA can help you 24/7. One number, one call: 800.645.8265

Clean Harbors provides and manages a wide variety of containers for businesses throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Clean Harbors has more than 12,000 containers of various types and sizes such as open and closed top rolloffs, vacuum containers, dewatering containers, frac tanks and specialty containers to service all industries. 

Ranging from the delivery of a single container to a customer’s site to the on-site management of all of a customer’s containers, Clean Harbors provides comprehensive container management. We also provide transportation and logistics services for moving containers on-site and off-site as well as container tracking.

Download Fact Sheet (Container Management Program)
Download Fact Sheet (Vacuum Dewatering Rolloff Containers)
Download Fact Sheet (Container Management Services for Western Canada Refineries and Petrochemical Facilities)

Typical Containers Available

• Open top rolloffs 
• Hard top rolloffs 
• Open top intermodals 
• Hard top intermodals 
• Vacuum containers 
• Dewatering containers 
• Vacuum dewatering containers 
• Frac tanks 
• Luggers