Explosive Progress Of Acoustic Cleaning

Last year I wrote an article called Silo Cleaning & Stats and explained how our website statistics regularly reflect large numbers of companies searching for silo cleaning solutions. It’s not surprising really because silos are a key component for many types of processing – from raw materials such as aggregates to chemical compounds and of course foodstuffs.

We love to see this kind of statistic because we know that our products can solve a wide range of problems faced by silo operators. Why, might you ask, should we have such confidence? Well, there are several reasons, each different from the other.

First of all, we have not just 1 but 3 products we can offer to solve silo cleaning issues and ALL of them will perform their task quickly, safely and efficiently, avoiding the need for potentially dangerous human entry into the silo. Going into a little more detail ...

Prima Lance operation

a) If your silo is already blocked
We have the Prima Whip and Prima Lance. The former is installed through the top of the silo and comes with a choice of boom size (from 2.4 m up to 8.0 m). The latter is inserted from the silo underside. What makes both these pieces of equipment especially attractive to site operators is that they are readily portable, made from non-sparking aluminium and the power motors used take their power from compressed air so there can be no risk of dust explosion whilst silo cleaning is in progress. Click here to read more about safe silo cleaning.

60Hz acoustic cleaner on 30,000T silo

b) If you want to prevent build up within a silo
This is where our acoustic cleaners are the perfect tool for the job.  This photo shows our PAS-60 (60 Hz) model, currently the most powerful of its type in the world, installed on a 30,000T cement silo in India where extreme climate conditions had caused severe ratholing.

c) If you want level silo content
This is another issue for plant operators to deal with. Having an accurate reading of the amount of material within a silo can be critical to many aspects of the plant’s management – from purchasing and delivery to stock control and planning. Most sites have level sensing equipment installed in their silos and with acoustic cleaners installed, the level measured can be relied upon to be accurate because materials has been prevented from building up on sidewalls.

d) If you want to avoid explosive options
Amongst the alternative options open to silo operators is explosive cleaning. This is an extreme measure adopted when a serious blockage needs to be removed. Unlike our Prima Whip and Prima Lance which are safe and quick to employ, explosive cleaning is more time consuming, creates more downtime and is potentially damaging to the silo structure if its use is not conducted correctly. Explosive cleaning in itself has variations on a theme – some companies offer a method where carbon dioxide is ignited, others use methane and oxygen. All of them, however, operate with the same principle of relying upon the explosion they create to break up the silo blockage.

They say that clarity is power and that in turn creates confidence. Hopefully the clarity of what I've shared with you today offers confidence in the power of acoustic cleaners and the other technologies we provide to tackle silo cleaning problems.

Time Out For Acoustic Cleaning Tekkies

In our last acoustic cleaners blog post we featured photographs from a Prima Whip™ training session for cement silo cleaning on a customer's site in Egypt.

Today we share with you a video clip filmed by our training personnel showing the Prima Whip™ working after installation onto a large cement silo. You see nothing on the surface because the action is all taking place below out of sight!

Here are Alex and Jamie, still in Primasonics workwear, taking in the sights and atmosphere of the fabulous Pyramids Of Giza.

For more information on our Prima Whip™ click here

Prima Whip For Cement Silos In Egypt

Silo cleaning  is one of the biggest sources of enquiries that we receive, with requests for assistance on sites all around the world. I have touched on the subject before in previous blog posts such as Silo Cleaning Stats and Preheater Id Fan Problems.

One of the foremost industries for which we supply our innovative technology is the cement industry - cement silos are well known to give a multitude of problems (silo bridging is probably the one that springs to mind with most people). So efficient cleaning and maintenance is crucial. Here at Primasonics International™ we have now solved silo bridging and material buildup and blockage problems in more than 50 countries, serving not only the cement industry but also many others such as petrochemical, carbon black, food materials and coal.

What's more, we can offer not just one but two highly effective solutions to deal with silo problems - for discharge blockage removal we have the Prima Lance™ and for non-intrusive silo cleaning we have the Prima Whip™.

We recently supplied a Prima Whip™.to help with silo cleaning operations in a large cement plant in Egypt where silos were suffering from material buildup on the walls. Here is a photograph of our Technical Director Alex Bergus (orange hard hat) giving specialist Prima Whip™ training to engineers on site.

After the training session and still on top of the silo with the arid landscape of Egypt in the background, Alex is photographed with Apprentice Engineer James Swindlehurst.

Read more about safe silo cleaning here    

A Powerful Year For Acoustic Cleaning

As the year draws to a close it's natural to reflect upon significant events and achievements and I'm delighted to say that 2012 has been a good year for our acoustic cleaning technology. Our acoustic cleaners have continued to be in demand, having been installed this year in sites and plants around the world from the USA to India and across to the Far East and Australia.

Perhaps the most significant achievement has been the increased demand and subsequent popularity of our PAS 60 acoustic cleaner, the most powerful audiosonics acoustic cleaner in the world.

Q: What makes it so special?
A: Its incredible long range power.

Such power makes this acoustic cleaner ideal for use in very large capacity silos (circa 30,000T). Such a size of silo presents a potentially serious problem for plant operators should it suffer a build up of material on its sidewalls.

The PAS-60 - which comes in a straight or curved shape - has the power and capacity to prevent that buildup.

It is also well suited to boiler plants and sites that use electrostatic precipitators and selective catalytic reduction.

This acoustic cleaner was years in development so it has been truly rewarding to see the value it is now bringing to industries worldwide. Looking forward to 2013 and expanding that success even further!

Prima Whip Training For Silo Cleaning

Our last blog post looked at the statistical importance of silo cleaning. Supplying our acoustic cleaners as a solution to silo ratholing and silo bridging, takes me and my technical staff to many countries around the world. This is particulary the case when customers buy our Prima Whip as we offer special training on site in the use of this equipment. In such a way, our customers are left confident in the knowledge that they can improve their silo discharge performance and overall plant efficiency.

Here is our Technical Director Alex Bergus giving classroom training to cement plant staff who plan to use the Prima Whip in their cement silos.

The next photograph below was taken on the top of a cement silo with the Prima Whip assembled and ready to be lowered into the silo. Again, Alex (centered) isseen playing a key role in training.

 
For more detailed information you can download our Prima Whip pdf brochure - please click here

Silo Cleaning & Stats

Statistics are a very useful analytical tool in business and we study carefully the analytical data in relation to visitors to our three web sites. Taking the main Primasonics International web site, time and time again the greatest numbers of visitors are seeking solutions to their silo storage problems.

The three main areas which concern them are:-

How can we clear our silos totally safely, quickly, efficiently without the need for manual entry?
Our answer is simple .... the Primasonics Prima Whip and Prima Lance facilitate excellent silo cleaning without any human risk.

How can we prevent continuing side wall material build-up and ratholing?
Again our answer is simply to install one of our powerful low frequency Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners on top of the silo and 'hey presto!' side wall build up is eliminated. This is especially true with our mega powerful PAS-60 (60 Hz) - currently the most powerful acoustic cleaner in the world - which has been proven to prevent this problem from occurring in silos with capacities of up to 33,000 tonnes.

Finally, how can we prevent material bridging in the hopper and discharge sections of the silo?
You’ve guessed it ... simply by installing a higher frequency Primasonics Acoustic Cleaner on the hopper section. Depending on the size of hopper and the material we usually recommend either a PAS-350 or PAS-230 model.

I was just looking through our sales statistics and we have now solved silo build up and blockage problems in over fifty countries worldwide and over a wide range of industries such as cement, chemicals, petrochemicals, carbon black, coal, wood flour, food materials and products  and many more.

However, I am sure that still thousands of silo owners with material flow problems who could benefit from our practical and professional help. So just come and talk to me personally about your need for silo cleaning - via Skype (donald-primasonics) or email sound@primasonics.com. I and my acoustic cleaning team supported by our international network of agents will be glad to help.

Cement Industry Needs Acoustic Cleaners

The cement industry is one of the foremost industries to use acoustic cleaning to deal with and, indeed, combat material build up problems.

From dealing with ratholing and bridging problems in silos to the necessary maintenance of id fans, filters and ESPs, acoustic cleaning has become established as one of the key components of efficient cement plant operations. Read more about cement plant cleaning and silo cleaning.

We have over fifteen years of experience dealing with cement plants around the world and regularly receive emails from delighted clients who have experienced significant improvement in their cement plant operations due to our acoustic cleaning technology. A good example is that of a cement plant client who had been suffering unscheduled shutdowns because of material build up on an ID fan. After the installation of one of our acoustic cleaners they couldn't wait to let us know that these unscheduled outages had ceased. Read more on our acoustic cleaning referrals page.

Our success within the cement industry has led to our being asked to share our expertise by attending  cement conferences and trade fairs around the world. As referred to in our last blog post, our Technical Director Mr. Alex Bergus recently conducted a seminar on acoustic cleaning in Indonesia. He then went on to attend the Cemtech Asia 2012 event - photographed below at the Primasonics International stand. 

Carbon Black Cleaning - More Acoustic Cleaners Please!

In a previous blog post we wrote about our involvement with carbon black silo cleaning and how we had supplied 2 units of our PAS-75 acoustic cleaner to assist with the operation of carbon black silos at an industrial rubber plant in Hungary.

It is only a few months since our acoustic cleaners were installed on site and we have already received a new order from the plant operators for a further 3 units of PAS-75. Orders speak louder than any words!

If you are involved in the production, storage or transportation of carbon black, please visit our carbon black page to learn about the wide range of applications to which our acoustic cleaners can be in order to minimize material build-up and improve plant efficiency.

We cover id fans to mechanical pre-collectors, dynamic cyclones to precipitators, ductwork and more. A must read!


Photographs: Acoustic cleaners installed to improve baghouse filter and hopper cleaning.

Cement Plant Cleaning Success

Acoustic cleaning has been favoured by many industries for some years now as the preferred choice of material flow solution.  From power generation to petrochemical, pharmaceutical to pet foods, the spectrum of industrial plants in need of our services is a wide one. The most popular demand has perhaps come from the cement industry and so far 2012 sees that demand on the increase.

In the coming month our Technical Director Mr Alex Bergus will be travelling to various cement plants oversesas to supervise the commissioning of our Prima Whip™ equipment. This specially devised equipment offers a safe and fast solution for cleaning cement silos, bins and hoppers. With the option to fit a choice of whips and cutting edges, even the toughest of material build-up can be removed without damage to the silo, bin or hopper walls. This silo cleaning system eliminates the need for operators to enter the confines of the silo itself - an environment which can be potentially dangerous. 

Mobile and easily positioned, the Prima Whip™ is without question the cement plant operators' best friend!

Alex's itinerary will take him to the Philippines and Egypt and in between he will attend Cemtech Asia (17-20 June) in Jakarta, Indonesia  where he will present a technical paper on the theory and application of acoustic cleaning within cement plants (and power generation plants). 

So if you are involved in cement plant operations and need to find the best solution for cement silo cleaning etc then this year's Cemtech Asia provides a great opportunity. Visit our Primasonics International stand (Number 13) for the chance to meet Alex and have your technical questions answered by an acknowledged acoustic cleaning expert!

Sweet Success With Sugar Silo Cleaning

One of the most enjoyable parts of running an acoustic cleaning business is the wide variety of customers that we deal with. From cement plants to food processing plants, power generation to marine applications, we get to see all kinds of industries with audiosonic cleaning requirements.

I remember well being approached by a specialist sugar processing company who need help to solve a serious silo cleaning problem. They had been using a high pressure water cleaning system but required a major shutdown and in turn created a further effluent problem. This was obviously not the solution.

Once our acoustic cleaners were installed, not only did they prove efficient in clearing the sugar silo wall build-up but of course the non-implementation of the water cleaning system meant that there was no further effluent problems. Now that's what I call 'sweet success' in acoustic cleaning!

The actual testimonial this client gave us is on our acoustic cleaning client referrals page.

Carbon Black Silo Cleaning Success

Carbon black is a commodity which is produced and processed on a large scale around the world. The properties of carbon black are such that it requires careful handling and storage. From a human perspective, engineering controls have to be used to limit the exposure of people to carbon black dust during site operations and from a site management angle, fine carbon black dust has to be prevented from penetrating electrical equipment as it can cause electrical shorts.

Storage of carbon black is equally important – it has to be stored in a dry place and well away from potential sources of ignition and strong oxidizers. Storage of carbon black is commonly carried out using silos. The fine dust can cause build-up and blockages which in turn can result in major plant shutdowns and loss of valuable bulk storage space. Effective cleaning and prevention of build-up in carbon black silos is therefore a prime objective within carbon black storage and production plants.

We recently sold two PAS-75 acoustic cleaners for this exact purpose - for two carbon black silos at an industrial rubber plant in Hungary. Here is a photograph of one of our acoustic cleaners mounted on top of one of the silos.

Below is a close-up photograph. Height of the silos 14.5m, diameter just over 3m.

Explosive New Application For Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners!

When I was a kid and growing up in the small Ulster town of Dromore, we had to look for simple, cheap yet exciting ways to have some fun. I vividly remember one such form of entertainment when recently Primasonics International received an enquiry from a company in India who had a problem storing and discharging calcium carbide.

Back to my youth for a moment and my first contact with calcium carbide which was (indeed, still is for cavers) used as a fuel for carbide lamps. What we did as kids was to buy some rocks of calcium carbide from the local ironmongers, get a tin can which had a press on lid, punch a small hole in the base with a nail to make a cannon. We would then place a small piece of the calcium carbide in the can, spit on it, replace the lid and hold a lighted match over the small hole. The result was BANG - the lid flew off!

This video clip demonstrates my point!

So why does the explosion happen? Well, calcium carbide reacts with water to produce the explosive gas acetylene plus calcium hydroxide known as "slaked lime".

CaC2 + 2 H20 —› C2H2 + Ca(OH)2

However, do not think that calcium carbide is an out of date chemical. China, for example has the capacity to manufacture 17 million tonnes per year, mainly as a raw material for the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride. Calcium carbide itself is manufactured industrially in an electric arc furnace from a mixture of lime and coke at approximately 2000˚C and this method of production has not changed since its invention in 1888.

CaO + 3 C —› CaC2 + CO

The powder when stored in silos can become a little sticky, hence the Indian manufacturer saught our help with silo cleaning - ie. to prevent side wall build up and to aid material flow from the silos.

After studying the silo drawings and calcium carbide physical specification, we recommended the installation of a Primasonics Acoustic Cleaner Model PAS-75 to be mounted on top of each of their silos. We are now also working on an acoustic cleaner solution for the economiser section of their waste heat recovery boiler as well. Our local agent is now arranging to visit with this company to progress the enquiry to a satisfactory conclusion.

How strange indeed that a material I first came across as a boy has come back to me almost 60 years later as a good application for our acoustic cleaners.

Cement Silo Cleaning South America

Silo cleaning and boiler cleaning are two of the most common and important issues that industrial plants have to deal with today. Proper material flow in silos and efficient boiler performance in industrial plant operations, however, are not without their problems which is where we come in!

We have provided acoustic cleaning systems for this type of application for many years now and in many countries around the world. Indeed, this year has seen an expansion of our sales and network agents into new territories .... in particular South America.

We now have agents in Chile and Brazil and have achieved sales to Mexico, Argentina and Columbia as well. What is interesting is the main type of operation where our acoustic cleaners have been installed in these South American countries ... cement and wood processing (silos and boilers). Again, proof that these two areas of industrial operations are key to success.

Long may we be able to contribute to that success with our innovative acoustic cleaners.

Acoustic Cleaners Facebook - follow us!

Ratholing – When Acoustic Cleaners Come Into Their Own

According to Wiktionary (the wiki-based open content dictionary), ratholing is an uncountable noun - ie. it has no plural form just as, for example, the word 'information'. According to Wiktionary and a range of other sources on the web, ratholing has several meanings and all of them poles apart!

The average person in the street might never have heard of the word ratholing but speak to any of the following and they will know the word well:

a) a poker player

b) a computer network/server technician

c) a cement plant manager

A poker player will be accused of ratholing if they have been seen removing poker chips from the table whilst a poker game is being played. This is just one of many poker card tricks used by poker players.

A computer network/server technician will encounter ratholing in an entirely different context as the term relates to the process where a proxy server identifies a client who is causing problems by generating too much traffic and is subsequently blacklisted.

A cement plant engineer worries about ratholing in silos and hoppers at the plant. Also referred to as funnel flow, ratholing in this context is when the silo or hopper is emptied and the central core of the cement inside drops but an outer ring close to the side walls remains and doesn't drop and empty. Ideally the plant manager needs to see all the cement emptied from the silo or hopper and the best way to avoid this kind of ratholing is to use acoustic cleaners.

I can’t say that I’m familiar with definitions a) and b) but when it comes to silo cleaning, I’m proud to have done my fair share of combat against ratholing!

Audiosonic Ice Cream Sir?

Here is some audiosonic 'food for thought' .... Ice Cream.

No, I have not decided to give up the 'day job' and become an ice cream van driver! Did you know that if it weren't for audiosonic acoustic cleaners, there might be less ice cream in the supply chain? Imagine that ... you go to the supermarket and the ice cream freezer is empty or you visit the cinema and there is no ice cream to tuck into as you enjoy the movie. Not a pretty thought is it?

So what am I actually talking about here? Well, commercial ice cream producers have to operate ice cream plants where milk powder has to be handled in bulk. Bulk powder storage and processing can lead to serious system blockages, especially silo blockages. The resulting downtime to clear these blockages costs time and money and of course means less ice cream is produced.

As with all demand and supply situations, if ice cream supplies were down but the demand still high - and let's face it, ice cream is never likely to take a downturn in popularity! - then ultimately consumers could be facing having less ice cream available in the shops and/or a price hike to compensate for lower production levels.

Q: So what does any serious commercial ice cream maker when silo blockages occur in their ice cream plant?

A: First of all, ensure that the blockages are properly removed. Then contact Primasonics International to discuss the installation of audiosonic acoustic cleaners to prevent future blockages and costly downtime.

If the ice cream plant has particularly large silos, then we go to another level with our Prima Whip™ as the solution. This premium silo cleaning tool has already proved itself in sugar plants as a preferable, more effective and more hygenic solution. The food production and processing industries have to look to reducing downtime and maintenance costs as a key issue and the value of our audiosonic acoustic cleaners in this task cannot be underestimated.

What better to help produce premium ice cream … the premium Prima Whip™!

** Some interesting reading material ....

Silo Cleaning Systems and audiosonic acoustic cleaners.

Ice Cream Production & Consumption Statistics

Ice Cream Facts including the global value of ice cream estimated @ £7.5 billion!