Re: Wood Chip Drying
IMO wood chip storage in bins requires circular bins/silos.
There are no problems loading the bins/silos. However DO NOT expect wood chips to gravitate out of a bin/silo like wheat/barley/soya beans. It won't happen. You will need to invest in some type of mechanical discharger, and there are many to choose from depending on bin/silo size. Some work with a conical bottom, some require a a flat bottom.
Depending on handling rates and particle size wood chips can be handled in en-masse chain conveyors and elevators, screw conveyors, belt conveyors and bucket elevators. Of course as with all bulk materials handling you need to know the interaction of the material with the machine to avoid problems.
In the case of material reception you can consider a ground hopper with grid, but it will need to be designed to suit wood chips with the grid having large aperture sizes and you may run into trouble with the H&S police as the aperture will easily pass your foot! You will also need a specifically designed feeder to control the volumetric rate into the subsequent handling system.
Handling classification
Wheat Easy 
Corn (maize?) Easy
Soya Beans Easy
Wood Chips HARD 
You are at the start of a significant learning process 
■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
Oh, and by the way, don't believe wood chip suppliers if they tell you their chips are all nicely screened and tramp free! Expect there to be lumps larger than they said, nuts & bolts, the odd house brick etc, etc. ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
Thanks for the response.
The bins are 500,000 bushel bins with a flat "air-floor" and 100 hp worth of fans underneath (blowing up) for drying. We normally use an auger styled sweep to clear the bins.
I think the sweep wouldn't work with wood chips because it would start to climb up the mountain of chips. It'd get "too much traction".
But I really don't know. I didn't even know what drying corn/beans was when I started here 3 weeks ago.
Greg ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
In addition the chips will be small, 5/8 inch. I think that is how they are measured. That's small in the chip world right?
I had a small amount of chips (two 55 gallon barrels full) for a scaled down drying simulation I was doing for this project, and I suggested to my boss that we try running those through first to see what happens before we buy his thousand-some pound load. We'll see how it turns out. But there is no real way of knowing how we will be able to empty a full bin, like you said (and I agree with) there will be problems trying to empty a flat floored bin with wood chips that don't "flow". ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
You can use a type of sweep auger to discharge wood chips from flat bottom bins/silos but they are a bit heavier in construction than the units you buy for grain e.g. -
http://www.morillon.eu/hydraugyre.asp?langue=2
As to the size of wood chips, they can be as small or as large as the supplier decides to say. From your reference to 5/8" and bushel I take it you are on the west of the Atlantic?
If you try these wood chips in your bins build the quantity up slowly as there's only so much digging out of a silo that one man can manage. ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
Yep. I am in Wisconsin, USA.
I talked to my boss and he said that they were planning on buying a heavy duty sweep for this project. Today we are going to test running my small load through the conveyor legs to make sure it doesn't get hung up anywhere.
Thanks
Greg ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
What equipment are you using for elevating and conveying?
Bucket elevators to elevate, en-masse/chain & flight conveyors for conveying? ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
We have bucket elevators and chain conveyors. ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
5/8" chips should be OK in a conventional belt & bucket elevator, even operating in a high speed discharge manner (starting to leave the bucket before top dead centre).
The chain conveyors may be OK but if the chain is light in weight (lbs/ft) 5/8" chips may tend to get under the chain and lift it up away from the bottom plate. When you're running tests take a couple of top covers off the conveyor to see what's happening inside. Try and stop the system with the conveyor full of material so you can dig down and see what's happening. ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
We ran some through this afternoon. It worked well. We did check in the conveyors to make sure everything was running smoothly.
We are now going to order a dump truck load full.
Thanks for all your input. ■
Ertekin
Originally Posted by Greg86z28
I have a brief question about wood chips. I am a Mechanical Engineering Co-op student working with a company who is looking to try out drying wood chips in their bins. (I am trying to inquire more knowledge on the project, although I am not in charge.)
To start with, at this facility, they store wheat, corn and soybeans. I'm not exactly sure on the brand of conveyors and elevator systems, but the conveyors are a chain driven system. The site is relatively new (2003).
I was curious how wood chips would work if they were run through a system like this? Once in the bins, I know the chips will dry, but I foresee problems in the moving of the chips, both into and out of the bins (the bins are gravity fed). Wood chips "flow" far less easily than corn or soybeans. Just to begin with, I see it being difficult to get the chips to fall through the grates in the floor down to the conveyor.
My company is going order several thousand pounds to test this out, but that's a lot to shovel if the system can't move it.
Does anyone have any thoughts or comments? I can provide more information if I haven't given enough.
Thanks for any information.
Greg
Dear Greg,
We are supplying rotary drum dryers worldwide.
Our dryers are in operation from Brasil to Australia.
Please send me data of project and let me check them to make proposal.
Regards,
Ertekin
ertekin@rtk.com.tr
www.rtk.com.tr ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
Originally Posted by Greg86z28We are now going to order a dump truck load full.
Thanks for all your input.
Please keep in touch as your project proceeds. ■
Re: Wood Chip Drying
Greg,
You may be interested in tracking the moisture content of the woodchips being processed. Working with Bonfield Group using MoistScan products for forestry operations worldwide, I have seen many companies either over-drying or under-drying their woodchips. By analyzing these chips, a company can measure the most effective dryness of products and maintain that moisture level from the beginning of the process to the end.
Please contact me for additional information if interested, or view www.bonfieldgroup.com.
Regards,
Mark Wagner,
Marketing Assistant
Bonfield Mining Group
mark.wagner@wipware.com ■
Wood Chip Drying
Hello,
I have a brief question about wood chips. I am a Mechanical Engineering Co-op student working with a company who is looking to try out drying wood chips in their bins. (I am trying to inquire more knowledge on the project, although I am not in charge.)
To start with, at this facility, they store wheat, corn and soybeans. I'm not exactly sure on the brand of conveyors and elevator systems, but the conveyors are a chain driven system. The site is relatively new (2003).
I was curious how wood chips would work if they were run through a system like this? Once in the bins, I know the chips will dry, but I foresee problems in the moving of the chips, both into and out of the bins (the bins are gravity fed). Wood chips "flow" far less easily than corn or soybeans. Just to begin with, I see it being difficult to get the chips to fall through the grates in the floor down to the conveyor.
My company is going order several thousand pounds to test this out, but that's a lot to shovel if the system can't move it.
Does anyone have any thoughts or comments? I can provide more information if I haven't given enough.
Thanks for any information.
Greg ■