If it is dust it will likely fluidize when disturbed, thus spreading very nearly flat. Accordingly your silo should be designed for hydrostatic pressure.

Joe Dos Santos ■

If you want it to flow it won't, just stand there and look at you.

If you don't want it to flow it will, out of any holes or gaps, and end up all over the floor!

Suppose you might say it suffers from bipolar disorder. ■

Although the design of hoppers and silosare very important, they seldom take into account other key factors such as variations in particle, climatic conditions etc. We havea lot of experience in ensuring that many types of material flow at maximum, even rates, and do not either rathole or bridge, irrespective of the design or condition of the hopper or silo.

By installing the correct model of Acoustic Cleaner just above the hopper outlet (to prevent bridging0, or on top of the silo (to prevent ratholing) and 'sounding' it for a few seconds at periodic intervals during anthracite dust filling or discharging, then these sound waves will ;excite' the particles and prevent bridging over the outlet and material building up on the side walls, causing ratholing. In all cases this is a very effective and certainly much cheaper solution..

If you care to look at the following link you will find further details and photograph. - (for bridging)http://www.primasonics.com/hopperapplications.htm

and for side wall material wall build up look at this link -

http://www.sonic-horns.com/silocleaningarticle.htm

Regards

Donald ■