Services – GEM Specialized Services

Water Treatment

GEM has been treating industrial water in the field for over 20 years. Before we mobilize any equipment, we take a consultative approach: we work with you to understand your project goals, then develop a treatment methodology built around them. For complex projects, we often sequence multiple treatment technologies to meet discharge standards, recycling criteria, or regulatory requirements.

Process Water

Process water acquires contaminants during manufacturing and industrial operations, through washing, rinsing, cooling, chemical reactions, and similar activity. GEM has treated process water across a wide range of industries and can mobilize quickly for projects of any scale.

Remediation and Groundwater

Hydrotest Water

Pipeline cleaning, hydrotesting, and pigging operations generate large volumes of contaminated water. GEM treats or filters hydrotest water on-site at flow rates up to 15,000 GPM, in locations ranging from dense urban environments to remote job sites. Our systems are designed to meet NPDES and POTW discharge standards.

Turnaround Water

Facility turnarounds produce rinse water, decontamination water, and process water faster than most plant treatment systems can handle. GEM treats it on-site in real time, reducing the need for frac tank storage and keeping your turnaround on schedule.

Unit Decontamination

Accelerating Safe Entry. Reducing Downtime. Improving Turnaround Performance.

Our Unit Decontamination Services are designed to rapidly prepare refinery and petrochemical process units for safe maintenance activities during planned turnarounds, shutdowns, and emergency outages. By combining advanced chemical cleaning technologies, vapor management, and proven field execution, we help facilities achieve faster entry conditions while reducing worker exposure and minimizing schedule delays.

Our approach targets residual hydrocarbons, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, pyrophoric iron sulfides, and other hazardous contaminants that can delay maintenance activities and increase turnaround costs. Through carefully engineered decontamination programs, we help clients improve safety, reduce emissions, and accelerate the path to mechanical work.

Helping Refineries Return to Service Faster

Our goal is simple: safely remove contaminants, accelerate maintenance access, and help facilities return to production as quickly and efficiently as possible. Through innovative decontamination technologies and experienced field execution, we provide refinery and petrochemical operators with a dependable partner for their most critical turnaround projects.

Process Unit Decontamination

Complete Unit Cleaning and Preparation

Our process unit decontamination services address entire operating systems including reactors, piping, exchangers, drums, towers, and associated process equipment.

Using customized chemical cleaning programs, circulation systems, and controlled vapor management techniques, we remove hydrocarbon contamination and prepare equipment for mechanical maintenance, inspection, and repairs.

Applications Include:

Crude Units (CDU)
Vacuum Units (VDU)
Hydrocrackers
Hydrotreaters
FCC Units
Delayed Cokers
Sulfur Recovery Units
Petrochemical Processing Units

Turnaround Chemical Cleaning

Engineered Solutions for Complex Outages

Every turnaround presents unique challenges. Our engineering team develops customized decontamination plans based on unit design, operating history, contaminants, metallurgy, and turnaround objectives.

We work closely with operations, maintenance, and turnaround teams to develop cleaning programs that support safe work execution while minimizing schedule impacts.

Program Features:

Pre-turnaround engineering reviews
Customized chemical selection
Temporary circulation systems
Heated cleaning applications
Vapor control integration
Waste minimization strategies
Real-time monitoring and reporting

Hydrocarbon Removal & Gas Freeing

Creating Safe Work Environments

Residual hydrocarbons and hazardous gases can significantly impact turnaround schedules and worker safety. Our decontamination processes are designed to remove trapped hydrocarbons and reduce combustible gas concentrations to support safe entry and maintenance operations.

By combining chemical treatment, circulation cleaning, and controlled ventilation techniques, we help facilities achieve gas-free conditions more efficiently than conventional steaming and ventilation methods alone.

Target Contaminants:

Hydrocarbon residues
Benzene
Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Mercaptans
Process Oils and Tars

Pyrophoric Mitigation

Managing Iron Sulfide Hazards

Many refinery and petrochemical units contain iron sulfide deposits that can become pyrophoric when exposed to oxygen during shutdowns. Our decontamination programs include specialized treatment methods designed to stabilize these materials and reduce ignition risks during maintenance activities.

This controlled approach helps improve worker safety and reduce the potential for fires during vessel entry, catalyst unloading, and equipment repairs.

Integrated Decontamination & Vapor Control

One Contractor, One Solution.

Our integrated approach combines chemical decontamination, vapor management, emissions control, and waste handling into a single execution strategy. This reduces contractor interfaces, simplifies project management, and improves overall turnaround performance.

Whether supporting a single reactor entry or a full refinery shutdown, our team delivers turnkey decontamination solutions focused on safety, compliance, and schedule certainty.

Why Clients Choose Us:

Reduced turnaround duration
Enhanced worker safety
Lower emissions impact
Proven refinery experience
Turnkey project execution
Customized engineering support
Reliable schedule performance

GEM Data Center Services

Data Center Hydronic System Flushing, Filtration & Commissioning Support Services

GEM provides specialized flushing, filtration, air purging, and system cleaning services for newly constructed and modified data center chilled water (CHW) and hot water (HW) systems. The process removes construction debris, mill scale, weld slag, dirt, oils, trapped air, and other contaminants that can negatively impact cooling system performance and long-term reliability.

Why System Cleaning Matters

Contaminants from fabrication, welding, installation, storage, and hydrotesting can restrict flow, damage equipment, reduce heat transfer efficiency, delay commissioning, and shorten equipment life.

GEM Service Methodology

System Evaluation & Planning
High-Velocity System Flushing
Multi-Stage Filtration
Air Purging & System Stabilization
Equipment Protection
Final System Preparation

Multi-State Filtration

Primary: 200–100 micron
Secondary: 100–50 micron
Final Polish: 50–25 micron

Applications and Benefits

Applications

Chiller plants, distribution headers, CRAH systems, CDU loops, heat exchangers, reheat systems, boiler distribution systems, and liquid cooling infrastructure.

Key Benefits

Improved reliability, commissioning support, equipment protection, enhanced heat transfer, reduced operating costs, and schedule certainty.

GEM combines industrial cleaning expertise, fluid handling capabilities, filtration technology, and project execution experience to deliver commissioning-ready systems for mission-critical facilities.

Tank & Pipeline Degassing

GEM operates a fleet of Vapor Combustion Units ranging from 1.5 MM BTU to 42 MM BTU, with vapor flow capacity up to 3,000 SCFM. Our range of combustor sizes allows us to serve both low-flow passive vapor control needs and high-flow vapor destruction applications on large crude or product tanks.

Vapor Scrubbing and Odor Control

For applications including sludge processing, barges, tankers, and API separators, a combination of liquid scrubbing and carbon absorption is often the most cost-effective approach. GEM uses specialized chemistry for VOC control, caustic solution for H2S removal, and acid for ammonia. Our systems handle up to 500 SCFM in single vessel, combination vessel, and specialty packed scrubber configurations.

Loading Rack Vapor Control

When a loading rack vapor control system requires maintenance or replacement, product flow cannot stop. GEM’s high-capacity vapor combustion equipment is well suited for use as a substitute vapor control system at gasoline or product terminals. Our experience with petroleum terminals and our fleet of mobile combustors gives us the capacity to respond quickly to emergency situations.

Marine Vapor Control

Barge and Ship Degassing

GEM provides vapor combustion services for the degassing of barges and ships carrying volatile products. We clear vapors from compartments following product stripping, prior to entry for cleaning, and for safe transport to loading destinations. All vapor control systems comply with applicable U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

Turnaround and MSS Support

GEM’s thermal technologies are designed to clear tanks, units, and vessels efficiently during facility turnarounds. Our equipment meets Class 1 Division II requirements, allowing us to work in the most sensitive areas of a plant. We also offer a comprehensive emissions management program for Maintenance, Startup, and Shutdown (MSS) permit compliance, covering vapors from tanks, vessels, pipelines, vacuum trucks, sumps, frac tanks, and process units. All systems are designed to meet TCEQ and BACT requirements.

Vapor Control

GEM has been controlling vapor, odor, and emissions for industrial clients since 1994. Our field teams assess each project individually and apply the appropriate technology, whether vapor combustion, liquid scrubbing, or carbon absorption. Safety and regulatory compliance are built into every scope of work.

Chemical Cleaning

GEM provides chemical cleaning services for industrial process equipment across a wide range of industries and applications. Our approach begins before mobilization: we gather deposit samples, perform laboratory analysis, and determine the most effective cleaning method before any equipment moves.

Project managers consider system metallurgy, flow rates, degree of fouling, and operational parameters when selecting chemistry. GEM draws from a broad range of cleaning agents including alkalis, acids, inhibitors, wetting agents, sequestrants, and organic solvents, and applies them using our own specialty formulations and delivery systems.

Chemical cleaning is safer, faster, and more economical than equipment disassembly for most fouling problems. GEM brings an on-site potable lab and experienced supervisors and technicians to every project.

Industries Serviced

Petroleum refining and petrochemical

Petroleum midstream, pipeline, and terminals

Utility power generation and cogeneration

Food and beverage

Pulp and paper

Aerospace

Mining

HF Alky Services

GEM provides comprehensive cleaning and neutralization services for HF alky units, and is the only company operating a fully automated neutralization process. Our project managers have decades of experience working in refining, chemical, and petrochemical facilities, and GEM has a proven record of completing this specialized work safely, efficiently, and on schedule.

Automated HF Neutralization

When an alkylation unit requires maintenance or shutdown and on-site HF storage is not available, GEM can safely and efficiently neutralize process HF through our PLC-controlled automated system. Automation reduces personnel exposure and significantly lowers the liability associated with HF transport and disposal. GEM is the only provider offering a truly automated neutralization process.

Unit Acidizing and Neutralization

Waste Minimization

Acidizing and chemical cleaning of an HF alkylation unit produces wash water containing constituents that can negatively impact a facility’s wastewater system if not properly managed. GEM uses solids separation technology to remove heavy residual solids, then chemically treats the remaining liquid to address undesired constituents and bring pH within acceptable limits before discharge.

Robotic and Non-Entry Cleaning

GEM’s cleaning systems operate while the tank remains sealed. Robotic crawlers, manway cannons, drop-leg nozzles, and valve-controlled shell lances wash interior surfaces and liquefy sludge for removal. All systems are operated by specialists from command centers positioned at a safe distance from the tank. Liquefied material can be heated to improve processing efficiency when needed.

Tank Sweep Systems

GEM’s Tank Sweep systems de-sludge storage tanks by circulating high-velocity liquid through nozzles fitted to the tank shell via manways or other available openings. The system is capable of volumes up to 2,500 GPM at 150 PSI, with nozzles positioned below the fluid line to assist with solids movement. Tank Sweeps allow cleaning to proceed without modifications to the tank roof and without a nitrogen purge.

Waste Processing and Minimization

Material removed from tanks is processed on-site to reduce disposal costs. GEM uses high-speed decanter centrifuges generating up to 2,000 times the force of gravity to separate solids from liquids, producing dry waste for disposal and clarified effluent suitable for potential reuse.

Tank Cleaning

GEM provides automated tank cleaning services using robotic and non-entry technology. Our systems are designed to protect personnel, control emissions, and keep projects moving efficiently. We handle a full range of tank contents including crude, finished products, petrochemical feedstocks, black oil, asphalt, wastewater, and sour water.

Additional Services

Waste Minimization and Dewatering

GEM provides on-site waste minimization and dewatering services to reduce the volume and disposal cost of industrial waste streams. Our equipment and processes are adaptable to a range of project types and waste compositions.

Vacuum Truck Services

GEM Specialized Services provides vacuum truck services in support of industrial cleaning, degassing, and remediation operations.