Pollution Control Consultancy and Design
(a member of ACEA and AAAC)
ABN  :  71  776  800  318
Independent, accredited acoustical and environmental
engineering consulting firm established in January 1995.

SILO ANTI-CLOGGING INSERTIONS (SA-CI)
 - a surprisingly simple, revolutionary solution to a long-lasting problem

a great opportunity for manufacturers of silos to maintain/extend
their commercial/marketing advantage over competitors

a great news for users of clogging up silos

Conical-base hoppers, silos and bins (an example in Fig. 1 below), devices used for handling and storage of loose materials such as gypsum, cement, grain and flour, tend to clog up at their converging parts (conical bases), becoming impossible of being emptied by the gravitational force itself. This results in loosing the productivity, as there is a need to physically remove the clog to reinstate a discharge of the silos.

Of different tools that are used to prevent/alleviate the problem, the most popular are vibrators attached to a wall or walls of the silos. However, quite often the vibrators even worsen the problem by compacting the loose materials against the converging walls and then the silos need to be unclogged manually, by
a person or persons with, for example, sticks stabbing/poking the loose materials at the outlet (the converging part) of the silos.

Another method used for unclogging of the silos is to bang a wall or walls of the silos with heavy hammers. This may also result, like in cases of the vibrators, in compacting the loose material against
the converging walls and a need of manual unclogging the silos with the sticks. Banging of a wall or walls of the silos with the heavy hammers usually result, what is more, in denting of the silos and in damages to silos paint.

Since early 1990s acoustic cleaners have become available. Whereas these devices may be effective,
they are pretty expensive both to install and to operate.
 

Pollution Control Consultancy and Design (PCCD) have been currently developing a system that eliminates or considerably reduces (depending on dimensions and shape of the silos, a kind of the loose materials and their moisture contents) clogging up of the silos during a discharge of the loose materials.

The system is known as “Silo Anti-Clogging Insertions” (SA-CI) and is introduced into the converging parts of the silos. The system eliminates/reduces arching (bridging) in the silos.

The SA-CI are surprisingly simple, have no moving parts and are maintenance-free.

At this point of time, the concept of the SA-CI is protected world-wide by means of a patent provisional application, and consequently it may  become protected by national and/or international patents.


We welcome any proposals of joint ventures from Australia and other countries during the present developing/patenting process of the SA-CI.

At this stage, we are looking for international partners who
will sign with us a confidentiality agreement upon which
we will reveal details of our anti-clogging system.

Knowing the concept of the anti-clogging system, the signatories
(our international partners) will decide whether to enter a next agreement to patent and acquire exclusive/partial rights to the system in
their respective countries/regions.

The system has been now a subject of a “provisional patent application”, which protects our rights (gives us so called a “priority date”)
in all countries-signatories of Paris Convention
(more than 100 countries, including all “developed” countries).

During the year, we (together with our international partners) may pursue patent applications in separate countries that we select, either directly or through regional patent offices such as European Patent Office (EPO).