Patent Application
20170305655
The present invention relates to silos consisting of a vertically arranged cell and an outlet opening at the bottom, and more specifically silo complexes comprising a plurality of such silos.
In particular, the invention relates to silos in which the cell and the outlet nozzle have a different cross-section, e.g. a rectangular or square cross-section for the cell and a circular or oval-shaped cross-section for the outlet opening.
Silos are used industrially for the temporary storage of bulk or dump goods in the form of powders or granular products such as grain, coals, cement, animal feed, sand, gravel, fertilizer, etc. The two most common types of silos have cylindrical or square towers, which function as cell or storage space. At the bottom of the cell, the silo is provided with one or more outlet openings where the stored material can be transferred to a transport system or to a truck for transport.
Such silos are already known according to the state of the art. For example, FR 2 541 715 describes a cylindrical silo with a cell bottom having at least two discharge openings, each of which is located at the bottom of an outlet opening with inclined walls; said outlet openings are separated by at least one upright edge which is straight or bent downward in the vertical plane and is formed by the intersecting line of the walls of said outlet openings, all of these outlet openings are situated in a circle with radius R=4/10 of that of the silo, and at least one additional discharge opening which is also at the bottom of an outlet opening with inclined walls and separated from said large outlet openings at least by an elevated edge which is rectilinear or curved, and wherein said additional outlet openings are located outside of said circle with the discharge openings, and are also separated by upright edges.
A similar concept to that described in FR 2 541 715 is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,254. U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,254 discloses a hopper having a peripheral side wall having upper and lower outlet openings and a cone-shaped body arranged inside the peripheral side wall, which thus defines an annular space for the storage of solid material there between. The lower outlet opening is separated from the cone-shaped body and thus defines an annular discharge point there between.
Finally, the German patent publication DE 1 226 942 describes a first silo for heavy-flowing bulk material with a prismatic or cylindrical upper part which merges into a prismatic base, the circumference of which is described by the upper part, and which contains a cross-shaped roof.
A major problem with silos is the incomplete outflow of the stored material. Such material can decay or degenerate, as a result of which not only the quality of the stored material may be jeopardised, but also creating a risk of infection for all the material stored in the cell of the silo. However, the prior art does not show any silos in which the necessary measures have been taken to impede or at least partly prevent the accumulation of residual material.
The current state of the art does not provide or does not adequately provides a solution to one or more of the above-mentioned problems or shortcomings.
To this aim, the invention provides in a first aspect a silo comprising one or more cells, each cell comprising one or more outlet openings, wherein said cells have an angular cross-section and wherein said outlet openings have a non-angular cross-section, wherein said outlet openings and said cells are connected to one another by means of an transition plate, wherein the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate is substantially constant along the radial periphery of the outlet opening.
This offers the advantage that the material stored in the silo experiences a uniform shear along the periphery of the outlet opening. Consequently, no material is left behind, for example in the corners of the cell, as a result of which decay or rotting of organic or biological material could come about.
In a second aspect, the invention provides a kit for the assembly of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising:
In a third aspect, the invention provides a method for constructing a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of (i) the vertical construction of one or more cells with an angular cross-section; (ii) the positioning of one or more outlet openings underneath said cells; and (iii) the connecting of the walls of said cells with the corresponding outlet openings by means of a transition plate, wherein the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate along the radial periphery of the outlet opening is kept substantially constant.
In a fourth aspect, the invention provides the use of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention for the storage of bulk and/or dump materials, such as preferably a granular solid material.
The explicit characteristics, advantages and objectives of the present invention will further become clear to the skilled person in the technical field of the invention after reading the following detailed description of the embodiment of the invention and of the figures enclosed herein. The figures serve the purpose of further illustrating the invention, without thereby limiting the scope of the invention.
Unless defined otherwise, all terms used in the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as they are commonly understood by the skilled person in the technical field of the invention. For a better assessment of the description of the invention, the following terms are explained explicitly.
“A”, “an” and “the” refer in this document to both the singular and the plural, unless the context clearly implies otherwise. For example, “a segment” means one or more than one segment.
When “around” or “about” or “substantially” is used in this document with a measurable quantity, a parameter, a time period or moment in time, and the like, then variations are meant of +/−20% or less, preferably +/−10% or less, more preferably +/−5% or less, even more preferably +/−10% or less, and even more preferably +/−0.1% or less than and of the cited value, to the extent that such variations apply in the described invention. It should, however, be understood that the value of the quantity in which the term “around” or “about” or “substantially” is used, is itself specifically disclosed.
The terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “consist of”, “consisting of”, “provided with”, “include” “including”, “contain”, “containing”, “encompass”, “encompassing” are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicate the presence of what follows, and which do not exclude or prevent the presence of other components, features, elements, members, steps, known from or described in the prior art. Quoting numerical intervals by endpoints comprises all integers, fractions and/or real numbers between the endpoints, these endpoints included.
The term “silo” refers to a storage volume comprising one or more silo blocks, each silo block comprising one or more cells or silo cells, each cell suitable for the storage of a dump or bulk material. Such cells are generally arranged vertically, whereby each cell is provided with at least one outlet opening. In a broad sense, the term “silo” should be understood in the context of the present invention as a silo complex comprising a plurality of cells and/or a plurality of outlet openings.
The term “cell”, in the context of the present invention, should be understood as a synonym for the terms “silo cell”, “container”, “tank”, “reservoir”, “barrel”, “repository”, “holder”, “cistern”, and refers to a volume formed by one or more walls for the storage of bulk or dump material. At the upper side, said cell may be sealed by means of a covering or roof; at the bottom side, said cell is partly or completely open, and merges into one or more outlet openings.
The term “outlet opening” is to be understood as a synonym for the terms “opening”, “outlet”, “orifice”, “mouth”, “aperture”, and is to be understood as an opening along which the bulk or dump material can leave the silo to thus be transferred on a conveyor belt or in a loading wagon for transport.
The term “transition plate” is to be understood as a synonym for the terms “intermediate plate”, “intermediate element” or “transition element”, and indicates a plate which is located between the inner walls of the cell and the outlet opening, and which is connected at least partially and preferably completely to the inner walls of the cell and the outlet opening. Said transition plate may be completely or partially curved, and may be formed by one or more segments, which may be referred to as “partial plates” or “angle plates”.
In a first aspect, the invention provides a silo comprising one or more cells, each cell comprising one or more outlet openings, wherein said cells have an angular cross-section and wherein said outlet openings have a non-angular cross-section, wherein said outlet openings and said cells are connected to one another by means of an transition plate, wherein the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate is substantially constant along the radial periphery of the outlet opening.
The term “substantially constant” is to be understood as a synonym for “mainly constant” or “roughly constant” and is preferably understood as “constant”. The term “substantially constant” is to be understood as +/−20% or less, preferably +/−10% or less, more preferably +/−5% or less, even more preferably +/−1% or less than and of the average value of the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate. By this is meant that the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate varies within the limits of the average value of angle α, |α|, +/−20% or less, or in short: |α|+/−20% or less. Preferably, angle α varies within the limits of |α|+/−10% or less, more preferably |α|+/−5% or less, and most preferably |α|+/−1% or less.
This offers the advantage that the material stored in the silo experiences a uniform shear along the periphery of the outlet opening. As a result, no material is left behind, for example in the corners of the cell, as a result of which decay or rotting of organic or biological material could come about. Such degeneration is to be prevented in order to guarantee the quality of the stored material.
In this way, the angle of inclination a between the transition plates and the vertical wall is constant along the entire circumference of the outlet opening. Because the angle of inclination a is constant, a better outflow is ensured. At a varying angle of inclination a, the pressure in the material to be stocked, e.g. flour, will also vary along the circumference of the outlet opening. This varying pressure will eventually lead to a more difficult outflow or even blockage of material in the zones with higher pressure. Blockage of residual materials, such as e.g. flour, may lead to fungi formation and decay—which is particularly to be avoided.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said outlet opening is completely situated within the periphery of the cell walls. As a result, the outlet opening can be completely suspended within the container volume and attached along the entire periphery of the outlet opening, preferably by means of welding seams, to the inner walls of the container volume via the transition plates. This offers the advantage that no additional reinforcements or supports are required, making the construction simpler.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the angle of inclination β between said transition plate and the horizontal is greater than 30°, preferably greater than 40°.
The term “horizontal” is to be understood in this context as perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the silo and preferably perpendicular to the direction of the force of gravity. In a more preferred embodiment, said gradient β is greater than 50° and more preferably greater than 60°. More preferably, said gradient is comprised between 65° and 85°, and most preferably said gradient is equal to 66°, 68°, 70°, 72°, 74°, 76°, 78°, 80°, 82°, or 84°, or any value therein between. This offers the advantage that a good shear of the stored bulk or dump material can be obtained, reducing the risk of residual material is reduced. The skilled person will appreciate that the optimum gradient is partly dictated by the nature of the bulk or dump material, and will be able to determine the optimum gradient according to the storage material.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said transition plate is comprised of two or multiple partial plates which are, when arranged adjacent next to each other, connectable to the inner walls of said cells at the upper edge and are connectable to said outlet openings at the bottom edge.
The term “partial plate” is to be understood as “segment” or “transition segment”, and indicates a plate which in appropriate combination with the corresponding partial plate or partial plates, forms one whole corresponding to said intermediate plate or transition plate.
This offers the advantage that said partial plates can easily be mounted in said silo at the level of the transition from the cell to the outlet opening. In addition, such partial plates can be transported more easily to the location of the silo to be constructed. Such partial plates can also be produced more easily by means of bending a substantially triangular plate over an inflection point.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said one or more cells have a rectangular cross-section, preferably a square cross-section.
This offers the advantage that these silos can easily be built by means of the connecting of the corresponding ends of the wall panels, which ends are provided with suitable connection elements for the connection of two or more wall panels to one another, so that the walls of the cell are formed. Moreover, cells with a rectangular cross-section offer the advantage that multiple silo cells optimally fit to one another in a silo complex. Thus, the volume for storage of bulk or dump material is used optimally.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said one or more outlet openings have a round cross-section, preferably a circular cross-section.
In an alternative embodiment, said cell has a rectangular horizontal cross-section with a well-defined length and width and the horizontal cross-section of the outflow opening is oval-shaped.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said cell is quadrangular and wherein said transition plate comprises four partial plates for covering the corresponding four base angles of said cell.
This offers the advantage that the four partial plates can easily be manufactured with known design techniques; that said partial plates can easily be transported; and that said partial plates can easily be assembled and attached to the silo.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said partial plates can be obtained by a central point bend of a substantially triangular plate to the desired curvature, corresponding to the desired gradient β and the desired angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate.
In the context of the present invention, it is assumed that the skilled person is familiar with design techniques relating to the bending of plates, such as, for example, metallic plates and more preferably steel plates. Thus, the skilled person can, by means of calculation methods known in the prior art, calculate the necessary bending angles for obtaining a partial plate with the desired angle α and the desired gradient β.
The term “mainly triangular” is to be understood as a triangular element in which the two base angles are cut off in such a way so that the obtained partial plates can connect along a common vertical cut. Optionally, the apex angle can be cut off as well. It is further indicated that the width of the cut-off of base angles is less than 10% of the total length of the base side of the triangle, and preferably less than 5%. The width of the cut-off of the apex angle is preferably less than 5% of the total length of the base side of the triangular element.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said one or more outlet openings are provided in the form of a truncated cone with an open base and top, wherein the periphery of said top is connected to said transition plate, and wherein the diameter of said top is greater than the diameter of said base. This offers the advantage that a funnel-shaped element is provided for centralizing the outflow of the bulk or dump material. In an alternative embodiment, said base surface is provided in an angular, e.g. rectangular or square, or in a non-angular, e.g. oval, shape. Connected to the periphery of said base, along at least a part of the periphery, an additional cover may further be provided which may differ in diameter from the diameter of said base, and wherein said diameter may be larger than the diameter of said base. In this specific context, the term “diameter” should be understood as the distance between two points located farthest from one another along a periphery, be it an angular or a non-angular periphery.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein said transition plate is attached to the inner walls of said one or more cells by means of a weld seam. Even more preferably, said welds are flattened, and even more preferably polished, at the inner wall of the container in order to thus not cause any irregularities on the inner surface of the container wall. Such irregularities possibly cause an accumulation of stored material and thus cause a hampered outflow of stored material. Such blockage or accumulation could therefore lead to fungi formation or decay.
In a preferred embodiment, said transition plate is adhered to the inner walls of said one or more cells with the aid of a binding agent. In an alternative embodiment, said transition plate is connected to the inner walls of said one or more cells with the aid of mechanical binding agents, such as, for example, bolts and nuts.
In a second aspect, the invention provides a kit for the assembly of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising:
This offers the advantage that the silo to be assembled can easily be transported as a package to the desired location.
In a preferred embodiment, said wall panels are flat at the top and bottom side, so that these connect with a wall panel lying underneath or above. The ends of the wall panels are preferably provided with connection elements for connecting the wall panels to adjacent wall panels in a corner and/or in line with each other. Optionally, said kit also comprises one or more connecting members for the sealing of the connection along a side where there is no connection with a wall panel. In this way, for example, two connecting elements need to be added for every two wall panels which form a corner which does not connect with a next silo cell; and a connecting element needs to be added for every three wall panels which form a wall with an inner partitioning wall.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a kit according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein said one or more transition plates are comprised as a kit of, preferably four, partial plates which can be connected with one another and wherein each partial plate can be obtained by a central point bend of a substantially triangular plate to the desired curvature, corresponding to the desired gradient β and the desired angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a method for the construction of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention, comprising the steps of (i) the vertical construction of one or more cells with an angular cross-section; (ii) the positioning of one or more outlet openings underneath said cells; and (iii) the connection of the walls of said cells with the corresponding outlet openings by means of a transition plate, wherein the angle α between the wall of the cell and said transition plate along the radial periphery of the outlet opening is kept substantially constant.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein said transition plate is formed out of four partial plates which are manufactured out of a substantially triangular plate which is curved by means of a central point bend to the desired gradient β.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein said partial plates are arranged adjacent next to one another, in adjacent connection with the inner walls of said cell, and subsequently are connected by means of a weld seam to the inner walls of said cell. Subsequently, said transition plate can also be connected by means of a weld seam to the one or more outlet openings. In this way, the outlet openings are suspended from the transition plate or transition plates. In an also preferred embodiment, said transition plate is glued to the inner walls of said one or more cells with the aid of a binding agent. In an alternative embodiment, said transition plate is connected to the inner walls of said one or more cells by means of mechanical binding agents, such as, for example, bolts and nuts.
In a fourth aspect, the invention provides the use of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention for the storage of bulk and/or dump materials, such as, preferably granular solid material, and more preferably fine-particle material. More preferably, the invention provides the use of a silo according to the first aspect of the invention for the storage of perishable materials, and even more preferably fine-grained, perishable materials. Non-limiting examples of such materials are plastic pellets and materials from biological origin, such as, for example, wood pellets, food products, flour, etc.
This has the advantage that the materials can be stored and dispensed, without material remaining thereby in the dead volumes of the cell with the outflow of material from the cell. Such a stoppage might lead to decay and/or fungi formation of the stored material.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014/0783 | Oct 2014 | BE | national |
| DE202015101491.0 | Mar 2015 | DE | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2015/058194 | 10/23/2015 | WO | 00 |
