Location: Canadian Fertilizers, Alberta, Canada
Product: Quattro Q4 75 Hz Acoustic Cleaners
Principle: Primasonics International Limited (UK)

Problem: Silo side wall build up, Silo ratholing

The company were experiencing severe Silo side wall build up in their large silo (38'/11.6m in length and 12'/3.7m in diameter) which contained Calcium Hydroxide (hydrated lime). This was a continual, serious problem, especially in the adverse local weather conditions ranging from hot summers to very cold winters.

The ensuing Silo ratholing meant that they could not utilise the maximum capacity of the silo also they could not accurately determine the quantity of lime within. This caused a major problem when offloading a lime truck into the silo, resulting in overfilling of the silo despite using a radar level transmitter due to the ratholing of the lime.

Vincent Crowley, Chief Engineer had read about PRIMASONICS® in a trade magazine and made preliminary enquiries with Primasonics after which he sent a completed Silo Questionnaire and dimensional drawing.

The Solution

To solve their Silo side wall build up problem, PRIMASONICS® selected a Model Q4 (75 Hz) from their Quattro Range to be mounted on top of the silo. The Q4 was 'sounded' for 10 seconds every 60 minutes in routine operation and 10 seconds every 5 minutes over a six hour period when the 'truck fill' button was pushed. These patterns were calculated as being the most effective for preventing Silo side wall build up and, in turn, eradicating the possibility of Silo ratholing.

The Result

Since its installation and initial operation, the company are delighted with the result. Gone is the Silo ratholing problem and they now can also obtain accurate silo level readings.

Vincent's final comment was:

' We are very happy overall with the performance of the unit'