Silo Cleaning Blogs
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What is Fly Ash?
Coal power plants and other industries that burn pulverized coal must manage the resulting byproduct fly ash. When released directly into the air, fly ash negatively impacts air quality. In 2015, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published requirements for the safe disposal of coal combustion residuals like fly ash.1 Today, fly ash is stored in concrete storage silos and domes and has numerous commercial and industrial applications. In paints, adhesives, and composites, fly ash is used as a filler. In the cement industry, fly ash can be added to mixes to improve concrete durability, make mixes easier to work, and improve permeability.
Marietta Silos leads the industry in fly ash silo construction and has constructed more fly ash silos than any other company combined. We have earned an unparalleled reputation for excellence through extensive experience with concrete fly ash silos with numerous leading power utilities and contractors throughout the United States. Marietta Silos is also highly experienced in silo building and design for bottom ash and palletized fly ash storage silos.
Storage Domes
When it comes to storage dome cleaning and maintenance, it's important to consider how the unique shape impacts material flow and buildup. Regardless of whether domes store cement or fly ash, hardened material will still accumulate along the interior surface. To remove this material buildup from storage domes, specialized equipment used by silo and dome cleaning professionals is essential. Furthermore, the large, domed ceiling can make cleaning of material buildup more challenging.
Once fully empty and cleaned, storage domes can be inspected by a trained professional who can recommend necessary maintenance and repairs. It's also a good time to replace or repair existing fluidizing equipment, like air pads, to help ensure continued material flow.
Ready for your next dome cleaning? Contact USA Silo Services to Request a Quote.
1 US EPA, O. (2014, December 11). Disposal of coal combustion residuals from electric utilities rulemakings [Other Policies and Guidance]. https://www.epa.gov/coalash/coal-ash-rule.
Cement plant facility managers understand the importance of limiting downtime and ensuring cement silos maintain optimum storage capacities. However, without a routine inspection, cleaning, and maintenance schedule, moisture intrusion and/or impaction can lead to material buildup, blockages, and material flow issues. Air pads and other fluidizing equipment also needs to be inspected and serviced regularly by a professional silo cleaning company to ensure correct operation. These common silo problems can cause shifts in the production schedule that greatly impact the bottom line.
How do you clean a cement silo?
USA Silo Service can clean, inspect, and maintain your cement storage silo or dome. For nearly thirty years, we've repeatedly seen that our enhanced pneumatic cleaning method with our proprietary cleanout head, The Boss™, is the most powerful silo cleaning method available. The USA Silo Service cleaning solution is 2/3 more powerful than conventional cleaning methods. In addition, since The Boss moves more material per hour, our system delivers optimal cleaning quickly and correctly, resulting in less downtime and production loss, ultimately saving you money.
How do you improve cement plant operations?
Cleaning, inspecting, and maintaining your cement silo is one of the best ways to improve your cement plant operations. A clean, well-maintained silo not only helps you stick to production schedules and yield maximum production, it also helps you ensure the quality of your product and protect employee safety.
Schedule your next silo cleaning today. The Boss silo cleaning machine and USA Silo Service can help you return to a regular silo cleaning schedule to maximize efficiency, production, and safety.
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Fast-Track Your Next Silo Cleaning
Hung-up, clogged or slow-running silos are a problem. They impact efficiency and hurt your bottom line - not to mention your silo structure. The Boss™ accelerates the cleaning process, minimizing downtime and time spent on-site to give you immediate cost savings. Our proprietary system moves more material than conventional silo cleaning methods so our customers can return their silos to full capacity more quickly. With over 30 years of silo cleaning experience, USA Silo Services has seen numerous cases where material buildup hampered productivity. Check out a few of these examples below.
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Fast-Track Your Next Silo Cleaning
Hung-up, clogged or slow-running silos are a problem. They impact efficiency and hurt your bottom line - not to mention your silo structure. The Boss™ accelerates the cleaning process, minimizing downtime and time spent on-site to give you immediate cost savings. Our proprietary system moves more material than conventional silo cleaning methods so our customers can return their silos to full capacity more quickly. With over 30 years of silo cleaning experience, USA Silo Services has seen numerous cases where material buildup hampered productivity. Check out a few of these examples below.
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Gypsum Byproduct Silo Cleaning
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A gypsum silo with significant product buildup along the walls created a productivity bottleneck. The silo suffered from rat holing that allowed for only restrictive material flow and reduced the storage capacity by 75%. Using The Boss silo cleaning machine, USA Silo Service restored the production schedule in only a few days.
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Gypsum Byproduct Silo Cleaning
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A gypsum silo with significant product buildup along the walls created a productivity bottleneck. The silo suffered from rat holing that allowed for only restrictive material flow and reduced the storage capacity by 75%. Using The Boss silo cleaning machine, USA Silo Service restored the production schedule in only a few days.
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Fly Ash Silo Cleaning
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A fly ash storage silo experienced restricted, asymmetric material flow that slowed production times. Unlike the above gypsum byproduct silo cleaning example, this case was due to several rat holes above the discharge points. To clean this silo, USA Silo Service first had to remove material buildup down through the silo cone.
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Fly Ash Silo Cleaning
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A fly ash storage silo experienced restricted, asymmetric material flow that slowed production times. Unlike the above gypsum byproduct silo cleaning example, this case was due to several rat holes above the discharge points. To clean this silo, USA Silo Service first had to remove material buildup down through the silo cone.
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Coal Silo Cleaning
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A coal storage silo experiencing production delays and asymmetric flow was found to have buildup above the cone level and plugged discharge chutes at the cone bottom. In addition to causing slow material discharge, the issues caused asymmetric flow damaging the silo wall. USA Silo Service quickly removed the blockages before additional structural damage was caused.
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Coal Silo Cleaning
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A coal storage silo experiencing production delays and asymmetric flow was found to have buildup above the cone level and plugged discharge chutes at the cone bottom. In addition to causing slow material discharge, the issues caused asymmetric flow damaging the silo wall. USA Silo Service quickly removed the blockages before additional structural damage was caused.
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REQUEST A SILO CLEANING QUOTE
No matter the silo type or stored material, USA Silo Service can meet your silo cleaning needs.
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