How does the MagTrack reduce confined space entry during tank cleaning?

The MagTrack reduces confined space entry during tank cleaning by operating as a remotely controlled magnetic crawler that travels across steel tank surfaces and performs high-pressure water jetting, surface preparation, and cleaning without requiring personnel to enter the tank. Because the robot handles the work from the inside while operators control it from a safe position outside, the need to send workers into hazardous enclosed spaces is dramatically reduced or eliminated entirely.

This matters most in oil storage tanks, cargo holds, and other industrial vessels where confined space conditions create serious risks, including oxygen deficiency, toxic gas exposure, and limited evacuation options. MagTrack’s modular design means it can be configured for different cleaning tasks, making it a practical alternative to manual entry across a wide range of tank types and industries.

The sections below address the most common questions maintenance engineers and field technicians ask about how MagTrack achieves this, what risks it prevents, and where it performs best.

What types of confined spaces does MagTrack eliminate entry into?

MagTrack eliminates or significantly reduces the need for personnel entry into steel-walled confined spaces used for storage, transport, and industrial processing. These include oil and chemical storage tanks, ship cargo holds, vessel interiors, and large industrial containers where flat or slightly curved steel surfaces are present and where conventional cleaning would otherwise require workers to enter and operate manually.

In practical terms, the confined spaces where MagTrack makes the biggest difference include:

• Oil storage tanks – both the floors and sidewalls, where residue buildup requires high-pressure cleaning and surface preparation before inspection or recoating
• Cargo holds on ships – large enclosed spaces with steel walls that need thorough washing between cargo loads
• Industrial process vessels – tanks used in petrochemical and energy facilities where internal access is restricted and hazardous
• Ship hulls and ballast tanks – curved steel surfaces that require paint removal and surface preparation in tight, poorly ventilated environments

The key requirement for MagTrack is a ferromagnetic steel surface. As long as the tank or vessel walls are steel, the robot’s magnetic wheels grip the surface and allow it to crawl across walls, floors, and even overhead sections. This covers the majority of confined spaces found in heavy industrial and maritime environments.

How does MagTrack navigate and operate inside a tank without an operator?

MagTrack navigates inside a tank using electrically driven magnetic wheels that adhere to steel surfaces, allowing it to move across flat and slightly curved walls and floors. Operators control the crawler remotely from outside the confined space, directing its movement and managing the attached cleaning or surface preparation tools. No person needs to be inside the tank for the robot to complete its work.

The system is built around a universal carrier platform that accepts a range of modular tools depending on the task at hand. For tank cleaning, the most relevant configurations include:

• The Blast Can – a vacuum dome mounted in front of the carrier that performs closed waterblasting. It connects to a vacuum unit so that both water and debris are collected without leakage, leaving a clean and dry surface. This is particularly valuable when cleaning oil storage tanks where residue containment is critical.
• The Curved Blast Can – engineered to handle surfaces with a radius of up to 3 meters (“approximately 9.8 feet”), making it well suited for smaller storage tanks up to 6 meters (“approximately 19.7 feet”) in diameter and the curved contours of ship hulls.
• The Swing Arm – used for open water blasting and cleaning, with an adjustable distance between the cleaning head and the surface. This makes it practical for reaching wind girders and other structural elements inside storage tanks.
• The ReCycleBlaster – a closed-circuit sandblasting tool that recycles abrasive material and prevents harmful particles from becoming airborne, reducing environmental impact and improving workplace safety.

All water jetting tools on MagTrack operate with high-pressure jets ranging from 500 to 3,000 bar (“approximately 7,250 to 43,500 PSI”), giving operators the flexibility to match pressure to the specific cleaning or surface preparation requirement. The remote operation model means a technician monitors progress, adjusts tool settings, and steers the crawler from a control position at the tank entrance or at a safe distance.

What safety risks does reducing confined space entry actually prevent?

Reducing confined space entry during tank cleaning prevents a cluster of serious and often fatal hazards that arise specifically because workers are inside an enclosed, poorly ventilated space while high-pressure equipment is operating. These risks are not theoretical. They are the reason organisations such as SIR in the Netherlands, EWJI across Europe, WJA in the UK, WJTA in the USA, and DIRV in Germany have developed strict confined space and high-pressure water jetting safety standards.

The hazards that MagTrack helps eliminate or reduce include:

• Oxygen deficiency and toxic gas exposure – oil storage tanks and chemical vessels can contain residual vapours, inert gases used for purging, or oxygen-depleted atmospheres that are immediately dangerous to life if a worker enters without full breathing apparatus
• High-pressure injection injuries – water jets operating at pressures between 500 and 3,000 bar (“7,250 to 43,500 PSI”) can penetrate skin and tissue at distances that operators may underestimate; removing personnel from the cleaning zone eliminates this risk entirely
• Slip, fall, and entrapment hazards – wet tank interiors with residue on the floor create serious fall risks, and the structural features of storage tanks create entrapment scenarios that are difficult to rescue workers from quickly
• Chemical and hydrocarbon exposure – residue from oil, fuel, or chemical storage can cause acute poisoning or long-term health effects when workers are exposed during manual cleaning
• Emergency evacuation difficulty – confined spaces have limited entry and exit points, meaning that if a worker is incapacitated inside, rescue operations are complex, time-consuming, and dangerous for the rescuers

When MagTrack performs the cleaning, operators remain outside the hazard zone. The robot manages the high-pressure work, the vacuum system contains the waste stream, and the team monitors progress from a safe position. This does not eliminate all risk from the cleaning operation, but it removes the worker from the most dangerous part of the environment.

How does MagTrack compare to traditional manual tank cleaning methods?

Compared to traditional manual tank cleaning, MagTrack reduces personnel exposure to hazardous environments, shortens cleaning cycles, and delivers more consistent surface preparation results. Manual tank cleaning requires workers to enter the confined space equipped with personal protective equipment, breathing apparatus, and hand-operated high-pressure lances, which is slower, physically demanding, and inherently more dangerous than robotic operation.

Speed and consistency

A robotic crawler operates continuously without the physical fatigue, rest breaks, or shift rotations that manual crews require. MagTrack maintains consistent nozzle distance and travel speed, which produces more uniform surface preparation results. In surface coating projects, this consistency directly affects how well the subsequent coating bonds to the substrate, reducing rework and coating failures.

Waste containment

Manual cleaning often produces uncontrolled water and debris spread across the tank interior, requiring additional cleanup effort. MagTrack’s Blast Can configuration uses a vacuum dome to collect water and debris at the point of cleaning, leaving a clean and dry surface immediately. This closed-loop approach is particularly important in oil storage tanks where contaminated water must be captured and treated rather than allowed to pool.

Personnel requirements

Manual confined space entry operations typically require a team that includes entry workers, a standby rescue person, atmospheric monitoring personnel, and a confined space supervisor. MagTrack reduces the number of people required for the cleaning task itself, and it removes the need for entry workers entirely in many applications. The remaining crew operates from outside, which reduces the overall risk profile of the job and can reduce the complexity of the confined space permit process.

Which industries and tank types is MagTrack best suited for?

MagTrack is best suited for industries that operate steel storage tanks, vessels, or enclosed structures that require regular cleaning, surface preparation, or inspection. The system performs best on ferromagnetic steel surfaces that are flat or have a curve radius of up to 3 meters (“approximately 9.8 feet”), which covers the majority of industrial tank designs used in heavy industry.

The industries and applications where MagTrack delivers the most value include:

• Petrochemical and oil refining – oil storage tank cleaning and surface preparation before inspection or recoating, where residue containment and dry surfaces are essential
• Energy – process vessels and storage infrastructure that require periodic internal cleaning as part of maintenance cycles
• Marine and offshore – cargo hold cleaning between loads, ship hull surface preparation, and ballast tank maintenance where curved steel surfaces and confined conditions are standard
• General industrial maintenance – any facility operating steel storage tanks or enclosed vessels that need cleaning, paint removal, or surface preparation as part of planned maintenance programs

For smaller storage tanks up to 6 meters (“approximately 19.7 feet”) in diameter and for vessels with curved walls, the Curved Blast Can attachment extends MagTrack’s reach into geometries that would otherwise require manual access. For larger flat-walled tanks, the standard Blast Can and Swing Arm configurations cover both floor and wall surfaces efficiently.

How MagTrack helps reduce confined space risk in tank cleaning

We developed MagTrack specifically to address the challenge of performing high-quality industrial cleaning and surface preparation without placing workers inside dangerous enclosed spaces. Here is how the system delivers that outcome in practice:

• Remote operation – operators control the crawler from outside the tank, removing personnel from the confined space entirely during active cleaning
• Modular tool system – a single carrier platform accepts different tools for waterblasting, sandblasting, vacuum blasting, and inspection, adapting to the specific requirements of each tank type
• High-pressure capability – tools operate across the full range from 500 to 3,000 bar (“7,250 to 43,500 PSI”), covering everything from light washing to aggressive surface preparation
• Closed waste collection – the Blast Can and ReCycleBlaster configurations contain water, debris, and abrasive material at the cleaning point, keeping the work environment clean and reducing contamination risk
• Consistent surface results – uniform nozzle distance and travel speed produce reliable surface preparation quality, reducing rework and supporting better coating adhesion

If you are evaluating whether MagTrack is the right solution for your tank cleaning or surface preparation operations, explore the full MagTrack product range or contact our team to discuss your specific application and find the right configuration for your environment.