the trouble you are having with the bagasse is nothing new as it is no different than any other copmpaction problem in a silo which requires brute force to move a product that is vegetable matter.

Bridging and rat holeing occur will occor with any product that be layered and the weight of the product contributes to the packing of the layers creating the bridging/ratholing problem. I lost a close personal freind because of this problem in a

mine ore pass because of his carelessness.

If you wish to move all the bagasse and not have problems you should investigate either an Laidig

or AO Smith bottom unloader for storage silos as

these unloaders do the job very well with any forage product. BUt they require maintenance and that can not be bypassed!!! ■

This material is renown for giving flow problems. If the working conditions are marginal, it may be practical to improve performance but full details are required of the installation to offer advice. Some information about flow behaviour is hoppers is available from tech@ajax.co.uk, if you care to send your email address. ■

I would seriously suggest a mechanical discharge unit (lzaharis has suggested some, there are others).

Relying on gravity flow is likely to problematic in the long term. ■

Have you considered pneumatic vibrators mounted on the outside of the bin? It only requires some quick welding and an air supply and thats all. It does not penetrate the hopper wall. Other methods often requiring clean out or lengthy down time and and emptying the silo for installation, Vibrators do not.

We are a vibrator manufacturer and have a wide variety in stock and ready to ship.

http://www.navco.org

Give us a call if you have any questions or would like a quote.

(800)231-0164

NAVCO

Houston, TX ■

Just remember NOT to vibrate with a closed hopper outlet or you stand every chance of vibrating the bagasse into a solid mass ■

Dear Sir,

Previously we have encountered several problems like yours and as one of the gentleman said, the most appropriate solution to overcome the clogging and sticking problem will be the air cannons.

We are the leading manufacturer of air cannons and exporting our systems to different countries in the World. More than 7000 systems are currently operating in various factories of solid material dealing sectors such as mines and ores, cement, food, etc.

It will surely be a pleasure for us to solve your problem and provide you a continuous operation in your factory without the sudden stops.

Please let us know if you have further requirement on this subject and contact us to prepare a quotation on the a/m subject.

Here are our contact information,

Best Regards,

Ufuk YUNEL

M.Sc. Mining Eng; M.B.A)

Sales Coordinator

YUNEL LTD., STI

Address: Ankara - Cankiri Karayolu 26. Km 06750 Akyurt Ankara / TURKEY

Tel:+90 312 847 5201

Fax: +90 312 847 5205

e-mail: sales@yunel.com

Web: www.yunel.com ■

It is a common problem but one which can be solved by the simple installation of an Acoustic Cleaner/Sonic Horn. These produce high energy sound waves which cause the material to debond thus eliminating both 'ratholing' and'bridging'.

If you are new to the Sonic Cleaning technology, perhaps a look at the link below on 'An Irishman's Guide to Acoustic Cleaning' might prove informative. This link is -

http://www.sonic-horns.com/understan...onichorns.htm

For specific acoustic cleaner installations silos and hoppers have a look at the following link -

http://www.sonic-horns.com/silocleaningarticle.htm

On this site you will find a silo questionnaire which you can either complete on-line or download. Alternatively you can contact me on - sound@sonic-horns.com ■