Silo Blockages and How to Address Them
A silo blockage happens when the material inside a silo becomes obstructed. The material inside of the silo will often cause a “bridge” or “arch” across the opening or pasting itself to the walls. This obstruction prevents the efficient and effective discharge of the contents.
When silo blockages happen, it can halt operations, reduce efficiency and can also lead to safety hazards. There are a variety of different blockages to look out for that can cause their own complications.
Types of Silo Blockages:
Ratholing
This occurs when the material has poor flow properties and doesn’t freely slide along the silo walls. Factors that can contribute to ratholing are material properties, silo design, and compaction.
Funneling
Funneling is a flow problem where material discharges only through a narrow, central path, leaving the rest of the material stagnant along the walls of the silo. Funneling still allows for some material to flow but in an inefficient and uneven manner. This is often caused by poorly designed silos, cohesive materials or lack of proper flow aids.
Bridging
Silo bridging occurs when the materials inside form a stable arch or bridge across the discharge outlet, blocking the flow. Sticky/cohesive materials clumping together or particles interlocking, create a blockage. If not addressed in a timely manner it can lead to downtime, material spoilage and potential structural stress.
Doming
With doming, the material forms a dome-like structure over the discharge outlet, preventing it from flowing. When cohesive materials stick together and to the walls, it can cause a blockage. This often happens because of moisture or compaction. Doming can lead to flow disruptions, uneven pressure on silo walls and material degradation.
Caking
Caking occurs when the material in the silo hardens into a solid mass, typically because of prolonged storage, high humidity, or moisture infiltration. The hardened material obstructs any discharge. This type of blockage can cause significant operational delays, material spoilage and equipment strain.
Plugging
Plugging happens when the material fully blocks the discharge outlet, hopper, or chute, preventing any time of flow at all. This issue usually arises because of cohesive or compacted materials, oversized particles, or foreign objects lodged in the outlet. Plugging can cause complete operational shutdown so it is important to address this blockage promptly.
Buildup
When material gradually accumulates on the interior silo walls or hopper, this is called buildup. Buildup reduces the storage capacity and overall flow. This typically happens with sticky, moist, or fine materials that adhere to surfaces over time. Buildup can lead to other blockages, uneven flow, and contamination of new material.
Proactive Silo Maintenance
Now that you know about the different types of blockages, you might be wondering how to avoid them. The answer is simple. Find an expert silo cleaning company that can help keep everything running smoothly all year long.
With West Side Salvage on site regularly, you can trust us to maintain the condition of your commodity storage so that you have one less thing to worry about.
Our Process
When you reach out to West Side Salvage with your project quote request, we will get back to you in a timely manner to schedule a site visit that works best for you and your schedule. We will inspect your commodity storage and work with you to figure out your preferred schedule for cleaning.
It is important to stay on a consistent cleaning schedule to ensure your storage stays in top shape. We will provide you with recommendations on an annual service plan that will increase your capacity and prevent any future problems.
Our bin cleaning team is committed to arriving on your schedule to clean your silos, bins, or tanks. To ensure safe, thorough bin and silo cleaning, West Side Salvage invests in ongoing training and top-of-the-line equipment.
Every team member is Confined Space Certified and trained to use the specialized equipment required, such as bin whips and grain vacuums. We follow all safety protocols for masks, monitors, and radios that are intrinsically safe on industrial commodity sites. Upon request, we will also complete any site-specific training your organization requires.
You don’t have to wait until your storage is no longer manageable to ask for help, we are here to help you stay on top of your silo maintenance so that you can have peace of mind.