Handling Cohesive Animal By-products: 240m³ Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) Storage & Dosing System
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The Challenge: Engineering for Extremely Poor-Flowing Rendered Materials
Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) is notoriously difficult to handle in bulk. Due to its high fat content and cohesive nature, it is an extremely poor-flowing material that is prone to severe “bridging,” “rat-holing,” and compaction. Traditional circular silos often fail with MBM because the material clings to the walls and forms stable arches over discharge points. The client required a system capable of storing 240m³ of this difficult product while maintaining a massive discharge rate of 80 tons per hour without blockages.
Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) is notoriously difficult to handle in bulk. Due to its high fat content and cohesive nature, it is an extremely poor-flowing material that is prone to severe “bridging,” “rat-holing,” and compaction. Traditional circular silos often fail with MBM because the material clings to the walls and forms stable arches over discharge points. The client required a system capable of storing 240m³ of this difficult product while maintaining a massive discharge rate of 80 tons per hour without blockages.
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Our Solution: Anti-Bridging Storage & High-Torque Dosing
BritSOLIDS engineered a bespoke stainless steel rectangular silo battery specifically designed to overcome the challenging flow characteristics of MBM:
BritSOLIDS engineered a bespoke stainless steel rectangular silo battery specifically designed to overcome the challenging flow characteristics of MBM:
- Double-Cell Rectangular Design: We constructed a 120m³ + 120m³ (Total 240m³) double-silo unit. The rectangular cross-section is a critical engineering choice; it allows for much larger discharge openings than conical silos, significantly reducing the risk of material bridging.
- Optimal Volume Utilization: Despite being fed by a bucket elevator from a single side, our internal geometry ensures the MBM distributes evenly. This allows the plant to take advantage of the entire geometric volume, preventing “dead zones” where old material could degrade.
- High-Capacity 80 t/h Dosing Screws: At the silo base, we installed two heavy-duty dosing screw conveyors. These feature high-torque drives specifically designed to “force-feed” the poor-flowing MBM into the weighing system at a consistent rate of 80 tons per hour each.
- Integrated Precision Weighing: The discharge unit is synchronized with a weighing system, ensuring that despite the difficult nature of the MBM, dosing for animal feed recipes remains perfectly accurate.
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The Result: Reliable Flow and Maximum Throughput
The BritSOLIDS engineering approach transformed a high-risk material handling process into a reliable, automated system:
The BritSOLIDS engineering approach transformed a high-risk material handling process into a reliable, automated system:
- Continuous Material Flow: The wide-base rectangular design eliminates downtime caused by material “sticking” or bridging.
- Massive Production Speed: A total output capacity of 160 t/h (80 t/h per screw) allows the plant to meet peak demand with ease.
- Hygienic Storage: Stainless steel construction ensures the MBM remains uncontaminated and flows smoothly across polished internal surfaces.