Storage of Bulk solids and Liquids

Storage of Bulk Solid

A bulk solid is any material composed of many individual solid particles. Examples of bulk solids include rice, coffee, cereals, fertilizers, detergents, catalysts, sand, gravel, cement, pigments, coal, and many others. They are commercially important in applications as diverse as the chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries, agriculture and energy production. Bulk solids are usually stored in silos, bins, bunkers or hoppers. A bunker (or bin) is a container whose walls are parallel and a hopper is a container whose walls converge towards a relatively small opening at the base. A silo is the combination of a bin and hopper.

 The most common silo shape is vertical cylindrical shell fitted with a conical outlet. Rectangular section silos with symmetrical or non-symmetrical, pyramid-like outlets, are also common.

Pyramid hopper Square opening

Conical hopper Circular opening

Wedge hopper

According to the way of unloading bulk solids from silos, two flow patterns can be distinguished: Mass flow and Funnel (Core) flow In mass flow (figure I.1a) The bulk solid is in motion in every point within the silo when the material is unloaded from the outlet. Mass flow is only possible if the hopper walls are sufficiently steep and/or smooth. In funnel flow (figure I.1b-c) The slope of the hopper walls is too flat and/or the surface roughness of the hopper wall is too great to achieve mass flow. In this case only the bulk solid above the outlet flows forming a flow channel going from the outlet up to the free surface of the stored bulk solid.

Figure 1 . Flow profiles: a: mass flow, b and c: funnel flow

Fig : Mass flow (on the left), funnel flow (on the right)

 The bulk solid near the silo wall remains forming the so called dead zones In some cases, only after the bulk solid in the funnel has been partially discharged, can the bulk solid of the upper part of the dead zone move slipping in layers towards the funnel outlet. Most frequent problems emerging during handling or storage of bulk solids are Arching Piping or Rateholing Flooding Segregation When the bulk solid is cohesive and the size of the silo outlet is too small, arches or pipes (rateholing) can form.

Arching occurs when a stable dome is formed above the outlet so that the flow of the bulk solid is stopped. Occurs in mass flow hopper (generally) It can be prevented by designing sufficiently large outlet sizes. In case of fine grained, cohesive bulk solid, the reason of arching is the strength of the bulk solid which is caused by the adhesion forces acting between the particles. [Bulk solid has gained sufficient strength to support itself; therefore impossible in free-flowing (non-cohesive)] In case of coarse grained bulk solid, arching is caused by blocking of single particles.

 Piping or rateholing occurs in the case of funnel flow when, because of its high strength, the bulk solid in the dead zones stays in place even after the funnel is emptied. Occurring in funnel flow hopper A vertical pipe going from the outlet of the silo up to the upper free surface of the stored bulk solid forms. Generally the walls of the pipe are steeply convergent towards the silo outlet, but in some cases they may even be vertical. Flooding Bulk solids made of fine powders can be suspended in the surrounding air when falling downwards to the silo outlet. In these conditions the solids motion is lubricated by the entrained air and so they can flow out of the silo like a fluid.

This behavior is called flooding and is characterized by high flow velocities. Flooding can, therefore, cause a lot of dust, and dispersion in the discharge area. Segregation (separation of particles on the basis of size) Segregation due to particle size, density or shape, which leads to an unsteady product composition at the outlet in funnel flow silos. In fact, the larger particles, because of their greater mass and so their greater inertia, can reach the silo walls, while the smaller ones accumulate in the centre. In the case of funnel flow, the finer particles, which collect close to the centre, are discharged first while the coarser particles are discharged at the end. In the case of mass flow, the bulk solid will segregate during filling in the same manner, but it will become remixed, when flowing downwards into the hopper.

 Therefore in case of mass flow hopper batches of discharged solids will have a uniform size distribution in time. On the other hand, the advantage of funnel flow silos is their lower construction cost.

Storage of Liquids
In industry, there are many different types of equipment used for the storage of liquids and gases. The method of storage chosen depends on the following : The quantity of fluid being stored. The nature of the fluid - is it toxic, flammable, corrosive. The physical state of the fluid - gas or liquid, the temperature and pressure.

Storing Liquids
Small quantities of liquids are often stored in 'CARBOYS Larger quantities in 'DRUMS' and Bulk quantities in 'TANKS' or 'RECEIVERS'

1. CARBOYS A carboy is a large, fat, glass, bottle-type container with a flat base for stability. They are used mainly for storing corrosive chemicals. Modern carboys may be made of a plastic material and may be cylindrical or rectangular in shape. Carboys generally contain 20 litres or more of liquid. They should NOT be stored near heat sources, should NOT be rolled NOR contain pressure liquids. 2. DRUMS (OR BARRELS) Drums (barrels), are used to store larger volumes of liquid. They are cylindrical in shape and can be made from a variety of materials depending on the liquid (or solid) to be stored.

 Stainless steel, Aluminum or Mild steel with rubber or plastic lining are examples of materials used. Like carboys, drums must be handled with care. They CAN be rolled but should NOT be pressurized and NOT stored near heat sources. All containers should carry labels showing their contents and any hazards associated with them.
3. STORAGE TANKS Large volumes of harmless liquids involving little or no pressure are usually stored in simple, mild steel, rectangular or cylindrical tanks fitted with a flat or conical roof - known as a 'Fixed Roof Tank'.

 Flammable or toxic liquids can also be stored in similar vessels but generally are located well away from residential and process areas due to the safety hazards involved. When a number of tanks are installed, they are usually referred to as 'Tank Farms' and each tank may contain many thousands of tons (or tonnes) of liquid. The larger the tank, the lower the capital cost per ton (tonne), of liquid stored. Figure shown such a tank and the possible combination of features built in. Note that not all tanks will have all of the features shown - some types of fittings depend upon the type of liquids the tanks contain. The diagram shows all the main features that MAY be found on a storage tank. For example, some tanks may be open and will not need a relief valve.

Roof Access Ladder - As its name implies, is used for safe access to the tank roof. Access Manholes -Usually fitted at ground level or on the roof for access to the inside of the tank for cleaning, maintenance and repair. Water Drain - For use where water separation occurs in the tank and is to be drained off. Also useful during internal cleaning operations. Transfer Pumps - These are used to transfer some or all of the tank contents to a process or to other storage tanks, ships, vehicles .. etc. Depending on their piping arrangement, the pumps may be used for re-circulation (mixing) of the tank contents or pumping liquid into the tank from another source.

 Bund Walls (or Firewalls) - These can be of two types : A wall surrounding the tank, high enough to contain the entire tank contents in the event of a burst or severe leak. In this way, flammable, toxic or corrosive substances can be contained safely until recovered. An alternative to the above, is having the tank situated in a cylindrical hole in the ground, again large enough to contain all of the tank contents in the event of burst or leakage. Relief Valves - Installed where a tank contains pressure and set to relieve excess pressure if it rises to the safe operating limit. Inert Gas Blanket - This facility is installed when a tank contains volatile liquid which may produce vapors that become flammable or explosive when mixed with air.

The inert gas injection (often Nitrogen), replaces the vapor above the liquid and will not react chemically nor produce an explosive mixture with the tank's contents. Foam Injection -In emergency, foam can be sprayed into the tank and over the surface of the liquid. Hazards arising from toxic or flammable vapors can be minimized. Vapor Vent - (Often called the 'Breather Valve or pressure-vacuum valve) This allows the tank to 'breathe' when emptying or filling. If a vent is not fitted, the tank could over-pressure when filling and cause a rupture in the tank and, when emptying, a vacuum would be pulled possibly causing the tank to collapse (implode). The vapour vent can consist of simply an open hatch where the liquid being stored has no hazards. For hazardous materials, the vapor vent may consist of a two-way safety valve.

This will operate at a rising, pre-set pressure to vent excess gas from the tank to atmosphere or flare system to prevent rupture of the tank. At a falling pre-set pressure, the valve will operate to admit air, gas or inert gas (called 'Blanket Gas'), into the tank to prevent collapse of the tank if the pressure falls to a vacuum. (Gas or inert gas would be used where ingress of air is undesirable). Sampling & Gauging Hatch - As the name implies, this is installed in order to obtain samples of the tank's contents for analysis used for dropping a ' dip-tape ' or ' dip-stick ' into the tank to check the liquid level also check the automatic level measuring instruments.

Earth Connections -An ' Earthing-strip ' is connected to tanks (and other equipment) in order to carry away and prevent build up of 'Static Electricity' which tends to form during filling and emptying operations. If static was allowed to build up where flammable liquids are being stored, then we would have a potential fire or explosion hazard. The storage of large volumes of liquid can lead to problems arising from the daily and seasonal variations in the weather. The most important variable, is that of the ambient temperature.

Floating Roof Storage Tanks A 'Floating Roof', as its name implies, actually floats on the surface of the liquid in the tank. As the liquid level changes the roof is designed to move up and down with the liquid level - i.e. Filling, Emptying, Expansion and Contraction due to temperature changes. This type of tank roof minimizes the vapor space between it and the liquid surface. Since there is no large vapor space for the liquid to evaporate into, vapor losses are also minimized. There are 2 types of floating roof: Internal floating roof is where the roof floats on the product in a fixed roof tank. External Floating roof is where the roof floats on the product in an open tank and the roof is open to atmosphere.

 Between the edge of the floating roof and the inside of the tank shell, special seals are fitted to minimise leakage of vapor. The seal used is generally of a continuous strip of flexible, special rubber material which is attached to the roof and to the seal ring around the inside circumference of the tank shell. The underside of the roof is fitted with support legs in order to leave space between the roof and the tank bottom when the tank is empty. These legs allow access to the tank for cleaning and / or maintenance. A ladder is installed up the side of the tank and over on to the rooftop. This is used for access for sampling, gauging or maintenance ..etc. As the roof moves up and down, the internal section of the ladder will slide back and forth on wheels running along a track.