Are Your Silos Clogging Too Often?

Does your company need to transfer powders or dry materials such as aggregate, coal, or cement? The most common way of storing these materials is to use silos. When you need to transfer some of the material to another container, it is common to discover that moisture has got into the silo and caused some of the material to become stuck to the sides of the silo. If this material build-up is allowed to continue, it can cause the flow rate to decrease and ultimately block the material flow entirely.

Maintaining the flow

It is often essential for your business to keep the materials flowing, so when a blockage or slowing in the transfer rate is identified, you must take steps to clear the blockage as quickly as you can. There are several ways that you could try to clear a silo and restart the flow of material again. You could try banging on the side of the silo to shake the material free, but that isn't always effective. Another approach is to insert a pole into the silo entrance and move it around to try to break up the solid material. This can work, but it risks injuring the operator if they do not get out of the way of the flow quickly enough. A far better option is to introduce an air cannon to keep the material flowing.

How does an air cannon work?

Instead of waiting for a blockage to occur, an air cannon maintains the flow of your cement, coal, or other material by release bursts of air at timed intervals. The bursts of air keep the material separate so that it does not start to clog or cause a blockage. By preventing clogging, the amount of downtime for your equipment is reduced, saving your company time and money. An air cannon will also improve safety in your workplace, as it will negate the requirement for operators to come into close contact with the silo while they are clearing it. The bursts of air can be as frequent or as infrequent as required to keep the material you are transferring loose and free-moving. You could opt for an air cannon that releases a burst of air from a single point or choose an air cannon system that offers multi-point delivery depending on how your silos are set up and what you are moving. Talk to your supplier to see how an air cannon could work in your specific situation.