A cement company used a 900t silo to store “off specification” cement. This cement was directly from the mill, and until such time as rigid specifications were met, was run into this silo for storage pending recycling through the kiln and milling process.

As it was in constant use for many years, possibly as many as thirty, it had been impossible to clean out, although manual dipping revealed that a build up of product had reduced the silo’s capacity dramatically. In 1998, a dedicated “off spec” bin had been commissioned and Australian Silo Clean was requested to clean out the silo, ready for use for finished products.

During the space of 10 days, 750 tonnes of material was removed, 600 tonnes in powdered form for storage, pending recycling, the balance being dumped on site as being non-reclaimable at that stage. This was achieved with very little dust hazard and with only two operators utilising the Australian Silo Clean System.

The silo was inspected on completion of the work and was suitable for human entry, which was required to inspect and, if necessary, repair the air pads. The walls, cone, and importantly, the underside of the roof, were clear of hazardous build up.

  All Case Studies