Storage & conveying of solids (bulk storage)

Reasons for Storage

 For smooth industrial operation adequate
facilities are required for storage raw
materials, intermediate products, finished
goods, recycle materials etc.
 To encounter any possible seasonal or
market fluctuations, unforeseen shortages,
emergencies.
 To enjoy bulk supply discount and other
inventory benefits e.g. EOQ or BOQ etc.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF MATERIALS FOR BULK STORAGE
Important characteristics of bulk materials, influence the decision
regarding their storage:
• Bulk density, Angle of repose, Grain size, Grain size distribution,
Grain shape, Cohesion, Adhesion.
• Materials that are not sensitive to weather can also be stored
outdoors (gravel, sand & coal) for economical and convenient reasons.

To facilitate free-flowing during loading and unloading of materials

i. air-locking should be avoided,
ii. Provision of discharge gates for complex materials e.g.
cohesive, hygroscopic, segregating and paste-like materials,
iii. Simultaneous discharging and metering process (if required),
Storage & conveying of solids (bulk storage)
i. Problems of Outdoor storage:
a.) Environmental impacts such as
dusting or leaching of soluble material
from the pile.
Exp. Leaching of sugar from sugar beat
with hot water.
b.) Dusting may provide a protective
cover of some kind for the stored solid.
c.) Leaching can be controlled by covering
the pile or by locating it in a shallow basin
(little depth) with an impervious or
impermeable (waterproof) floor (an artificial
structure) from which the runoff may be
safely drawn.
BIN STORAGE
 Valuable Solids or soluble materials are
stored in bin, hoppers or silos.
 These are cylindrical or rectangular
vessels made of concrete or metal.
 A silo is tall and relatively small in
diameter.
 A bin is not so small and usually fairly
wide.
 A hopper is a small vessel with a
slopping bottom, it is used for temporary
storage before feeding solids to a
process.
 All these containers are loaded from top to by
an elevator, discharging is ordinarily done from
the bottom.
 A major problem in bin design is to provide
satisfactory discharge.
Main Features of Hopper 1 Mechanical parts; 2 Transportation; 3 Insects control; 4 People,
characters & occupations; 5 Auto/manual loading or unloading
An industrial storage container to store & conveying of granular materials to manufacture
different products ….
Pressure in bins and silos
 When granular solids are placed in a
bin or silo, the lateral, tangential and Types of silos
• Cemented storage
vertical pressure is exerted silos
• Tower silo
i. on the walls and the bottom of the silo • Concrete stave
and silos
• Low-oxygen
ii. Pressure can be predicted from the head tower silos
of material above that point. • Bunker silos
• Bag silos
 Furthermore there usually is friction • Bins
between the wall and solid grains, • Sand and salt silos
• Fabric silos
and because of
i. the interlocking of the particles,
ii. the effect of this friction is felt throughout
the mass.
Pressure in bins and silos
 The friction force at the wall reduces the pressure
exerted by the mass on the floor of the container.
 The vertical pressure on the floor of the vessel or the
packing support is much smaller than that exerted by
the column of liquid of the same density and weight.
 The actual pressure from the solids depends on the
i. value of K’ for the solids,
ii. the coefficient of friction between the solids and the
vessel wall, and
iii. Compactness of the solids packed in the vessel.
 Pressure in bins and silos
 In general when the height of the solid column is greater than
about the 3 times diameter of the container, additional solids
have no effect on the pressure at the base.
 The total mass of course increases if more solids are added, but
the additional mass is carried by the walls and foundation, not
by the floor of the vessel.
 In granular solids a higher pressure does not always increase
the tendency of the material to flow, as it does in liquid, instead,
increased pressure packs the grains more tightly together and
makes flow more difficult.
 Pressure in bins and silos
 In extreme cases the combination of
gravitational and friction forces at some
point in the container causes the solids to
arch or bridge, so that they do not fall even
the material below them is removed.
 Nearly all large bins contains an arch
breaker, an upward pointing shallow metal
cone set near the bottom to keep the
solids at the discharge opening from
becoming tightly packed.
 Granular solids , especially with angular
particles, must be loose in order to flow.
Flow out of bins
 Out flow of materials depends on the location & geometry of the
outlets (side, bottom, conical or pyramidal) ;
 The best discharge occurs through an opening in the floor of the bins
due to gravity and due to pressure,
 Flow through a side opening tends to be uncertain and increases the
lateral pressure on the other side of the bin while the solids are
flowing,
 A bottom outlet is less likely to clog and does not induce abnormally
at high pressures on the wall at any point.
 When the outlet at the bottom of a bin containing free flowing solids
is opened, the material immediately above the opening begins to
flow.
Flow Patterns: Materials Flow out of bins
 One of two flow patterns will develop
depending upon; FLOW OUT OF A BIN
i. the steepness of the wall in the bottom section of
the bin, and  Rate of flow of granular
ii. the coefficient of friction between the solids and solids through opening in the
the bin walls. bottom of the bin depends
 Mass flow occurs in cone bottomed bins; upon the fallowing factors;
i. with a long, steep cone, a. Diameter of discharge
ii. all the material moves downward uniformly from opening
the top of the bin.
b. Properties of the solids
 Tunnel flow develops in bins
i. with a shallow cone angle or
ii. with vertical walls and a central opening in the
floor.
Flow out of bins
 A vertical column of
solids above the opening
moves downward without
disturbing the material at
the sides.
 Eventually lateral flow
begins, from the top most
layer of solids.
 A conical depression in
formed in the surface of
the mass.
Formation of stagnant zone in the bins

 The formation of stagnant zone at or near the walls,

 The solids near the bin walls remain stagnant and do not
discharge, no matter how long flow persists
 Particles in this zone are the last to leave.
 The material slides laterally into the central column at an
angle due to the internal friction of the solids.
 If additional material is added at the top of the bin at the
same rate as material is flowing out the bottom,
 Flow of Sticky Materials out of the bins
 Sticky solids/cohesive powders
adhere strongly to vertical surfaces of
the bins,
 Excessive shear strength may cause
plugging of the discharge opening.
 For continuous flow and to keep the
material in moving state, vibratos are
provided on bin’s walls, to maintain
internal flows near the bin floor,
 High speed air jets are injected
periodically to break the clogging.
 Vibrators or vibratory equipments
are used to Unload dry sticky or
semi sticky materials.
 To eliminate bridging, rat holes,
stuck material and uneven flow in
bins chutes are installed to control
material flow in bins
 Additional labour costs may be
needed for unsticking material
from bin or hopper walls,
Chutes - A framework, of rods or tubes,
on which materials can to slide from a
higher to a lower level to avoid clogging
Flow Precautionary Measures
 The discharge opening should be small enough to
be readily closed when solids are flowing, yet not so
small that it may clog.
 Maintain regularly to clear a partial choke instead
of complete blockage.
 If the opening is too large, then shut-off valve should
be installed; which may be;
i. Expensive, difficult to close or open and cause
additional friction.
ii. Material discharge will be delayed or may be
reduced.
 Problems in Bins/ Silos /Hopper’s Operation
Poor Flow in Hoppers because of:
i. First-in last-out flow sequence
ii. Blockage at exit point ( due to compactness, rat-holing & bridges)
iii. Inconsistent feeding and cake formation;
iv. Production or supply interruption;
v. Inaccuracy & inconsistency of filling line;
vi. Inappropriate flushing, emptying;
vii. Mechanical arching and doming. (occurs when an arch-shaped
obstruction forms above the hopper outlet and stops flow.)

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 Hopper Flow Modes "Gravity Flow of Bulk Solids"
3 Common modes for materials to flow out of an hopper.

 Mass Flow  The primary difference between mass and funnel

flow is that in mass flow all of the material in the
 Funnel Flow bin is in state of motion but not necessarily at the
same velocity.
 Expanded Flow
 In funnel flow only a core of material in the
centre above the hopper outlet is in motion while
material next to the walls is stationary (stagnant).

 Hoppers come in a variety of shapes and designs,

not just conical.
 Mass Flow
The whole material in the hopper
moves, but not necessarily at the D
same velocity;
Does not imply plug flow
In Mass flow: with equal velocity
•No rat-holing
•Uniform flow
•No stagnant material
•First-in, first-out flow sequence
•Sifting segregation effects reduced
Typically need 0.75 D to 1D to
enforce mass flow

Material in motion
along the walls

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 Bridging or “arching” and
rat-holing are the issues
that result in a no-flow
condition.

 Rat-holing is a worse
condition i.e. formation of a
hole or narrow channel
above the outlet of the Or
hopper while the remaining
material is stationary. Arching
Funnel Flow [FF]
Drawbacks of [FF]
i. The alternative of mass flow for  Segregation
silo/ hopper discharge pattern ,
 -Inadequate Emptying
ii. In [FF] during withdrawal of  -Structural Issues
material, the whole material in silo/
hopper moves,

“Dead” or non-flowing region

iii. Ratholing and stagnant zones are not
possible in mass flow hoppers Usually Coarse material

iv. Centrally moving core, dead

or non-moving annular region
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Problems Funnel Flow

• These problems routinely occur in hoppers discharging in

a funnel flow pattern,
• Some material moves while the rest remains stationary.
• Funnel flow is usually unstable because of ;
i. inappropriate slope of the hopper walls (not sufficient steep)
ii. low friction for material to flow as compared to wall friction.
iii. Particles slide on themselves rather than the hopper walls.

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Expanded Flow [EF] A special type of mass flow cone by
providing a funnel above the cone.
i. [EF] can develop when a mass
flow hopper is placed beneath
a funnel flow hopper.
ii. The mass flow hopper is
designed to activate a large
flow channel to cause the Filled with
funnel flow
Particulate
iii. [EF] is used to overcome matter
ratholing.
Funnel Flow
iv. [EF] can be effective for large upper section
diameter silos, as well as for
gravity reclaim stocks Mass Flow
bottom section

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Drawbacks of [EF]

• Rat-holing/Piping or channeling:
Occasionally, during particle flow,
material
i. forms holes due malfunctioning of Stable Annular
the system, Region

ii. channel in the centre of a hopper

due to circumferential locking;
iii. Very common in cohesive materials

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 Design of an Hopper or silos
An appropriate design to overcome operational problems of
hoppers/ silos
 Selection of an appropriate flow mode?
i. To develop mathematical models for granular flow & segregation.
ii. The current models are described, emphasizing areas for further
mathematical research.
 Optimize the hopper angle?
 Reliability of flow within specified time;
 Optimal type of discharger;
 Suitability for maximum and minimum discharge rates.
 Calculation of dimensions of bin and conical section
Assume B= 0.355m
tan θ = 0.577
CONVEYOR BELTS - An automated solution of materials handling

 In the manufacturing industry, conveyor belts are designed

to move products from one point to another or through an
assembly.
 Conveyor belts are designed for multiple duties:

i. Conveyors are used for safe transportation of heavy or bulky

materials.
ii. Conveyors deliver continuous, quick and efficient transportation of
materials,
iii. Crushing, size sorting and conveying can be done simultaneously
iv. Automated means of material handling and packaging industries
v. In industries hydraulic, mechanical and fully automated conveyors
are used
Constructional details of Conveyors:
i) conveyors work by using two pulleys that continually loop
over the loaded material that rotates continuously.
ii) The belt is further supported by a series of rollers along the
path.
iii) The rollers in the center, prevents the conveyor from sagging
in the middle while it is carrying a load.

The World's Longest Conveyor Belt is 61 Miles Long.

Western Sahara, a territory currently ruled by Morocco, looks like
a deserted place. There's little vegetation, but there are
substantial phosphate resources
 Mechanical arrangements of a conveying system

• Conveyor system works by using two pulleys that continually loop over the
material that rotates continuously.
• Other parts include hooks, gears, drive motors, carrying buckets, and
belts, rollers, chains etc.
• The belts are further supported by a series of rollers and other accessories.
 Types of conveyors
•Gravity conveyor with & without rollers
•Pneumatic conveyor
•Belt /Screw /Chain/ Wire mesh
•Bucket / Plastic conveyors.
•Flexible conveyors.
•Vertical/ Mechanical conveyors
 CLASSIFIED TYPES OF CONVEYORS FOR TRANSPORTATION
OF SPECIAL MATERIALS ;
i. closed belt for dust free transportation with zipper like fasteners,
ii. Conveyors for magnetic materials (transportation & separation
occurs simultaneously)
iii. various kinds of drag and flight conveyors for cohesive materials.
 Conveyors with return legs that carries the empty belt or chain
back from the discharge to the loading point.
 Conveyors without return legs but only operate over relatively
short distances e.g. vibrating, screw and pneumatic conveyors.