A bulk storage silo is a large structure that is used to store bulk material. There are different types of bulk storage silos you may choose based on your needs and the nature of the bulk material you want to store. Read on to find out everything you’ll need to know about bulk storage silos!
Different Silo Materials and Their Advantages
Silos can be made up of different materials depending on their uses and the atmospheric conditions.
Wood Staves Silo
A Wood Staves Silo is built like a large barrel with adjustable steel hoops that hold together vertical wood staves with grooves. It’s one of the traditional bulk silos, and its biggest advantage is that when winter comes, the item stored within a wood staves silo does not freeze as much. For farmers storing feed in their silo, there is a consensus on the taste of the feed being sweeter when stored in a wood staves silo, so this is the silo to consider.
Concrete Staves Silo
A Concrete Staves Silo is built like a wood staves silo, but concrete staves are used instead of wood. Since concrete has high compressive strength, once it’s reinforced by the steel hoops encircling it, it results in a high-strength shell. These hoops are placed closer together at the bottom of the silo because the outward pressure caused by the material increases as it gets nearer to the bottom. It prevents seams from forming on the silo’s sides. The main advantage of concrete staves silos is their flexibility, as they can be made as tall as needed, or taken apart to be reassembled elsewhere as necessary.
Cast Concrete Silo
Cast Concrete Silos are made of concrete, and they are more commonly used than the first two silos. They’re strong and durable and have many advantages. First, they’re cost-effective and can be designed with different specifications depending on the material used to store them. They’re also less expensive to maintain over time and can give you impressive savings, because they are less prone to corrosion than silos made of other material. Second, they don’t need external painting to stay in good shape, and if the concrete silo is painted light in color, it helps keep the contents of the silo cooler by reflecting away the sunlight. Third, they don’t run the risk of poor joints or seals, which could cause the fine powder to leak outside, thus, they’re great for bulk powder storage.
Steel Panels Silo
Steel Panel Silo is made of steel panels, and all parts are factory-made. The quality can be controlled, and setting them up is faster and easier, as well as adding accessories like ladders, samplers, doors, etc. Its structure is often wider and shorter, making it possible to achieve more efficient aeration and, so unless size is a major concern than aeration, a steel panel silo will work best. It also has fewer constraints with the foundation as it’s more dynamic and lighter.
Materials That Can Be Stored in Silos
For a material to be stored in a silo, it needs to fulfil three characteristics:
- The material should be in solid form
- The material should be consistent in range and distribution of particle size
- The material should be able to flow
With this, there are several materials that can be stored successfully in a bulk silos. They include grains, wood chips, cement, flour, coal, sugar, lime, sand, and silage. Silos are mostly matched with a hopper on the bottom part, for effective loading of the material into a process.
Types of Silo Design and Their Uses
Different industries call for various specifications of silos, and this is where different types of silos come in. The most commonly used ones are outlined below:
Bunker Silos
These are trenches that usually have concrete walls, which are then covered with a plastic tarp to make them airtight. They’re filled and packed by tractors and loaders. They hold a large capacity and are inexpensive, but they require more care in filling and packing.
Tower Silos
These silos are cylindrical and usually range between 10 to 90 feet in diameter, and 30 to 275 feet in height. They can be made of different materials, including steel, concrete, and wood, and are unloaded onto conveyors, trucks, or rail cars. They require a smaller area to construct and have lower storage losses but have a higher initial cost and cannot have silage with moisture as high as other silos.
Silo Bags
Silo bags are heavy tubes made of plastic and measure between 8 to 12 feet in diameter. They’re sealed at both ends and packed with a special machine made for this purpose. They’re flexible and have fewer health and safety hazards. They need specialized equipment and can result in a complete loss if a bag is compromised.
If you’re searching for bulk storage silos for bulk powder storage or any other need, get in touch, and our engineers will advise you accordingly. Sodimate Inc will work with you to provide efficient solutions that will fit your budget and serve you for an impressive duration. If you’re unsure whether the soil where you want to place your silo will be adequate, we can analyze it and help you find the way forward.
