Why Use Concrete Silos to Store Coal

Introduction to Coal and Storage Methods

Coal is the main energy source for steam power generation, mainly composed of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. The sum of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen accounts for more than 95% of organic matter, and is a very important energy source. It is also an important raw material for metallurgy and chemical industry, and can be classified into lignite, bituminous coal, anthracite, and semi-anthracite. In the past, coal was mostly stored in the open air, but the coal stored in this way is easy to deteriorate and lose its high combustion value, and the coal is easy to weather after being dried, and it is blown everywhere with the strong wind to pollute the environment. Therefore, with the continuous improvement of coal enterprises' requirements for automatic production, silo coal storage has been widely developed and used.

The main advantages of storing coal in silos are:

1.Good environmental protection performance, completely preventing the diffusion and pollution of coal dust.

2.Reduce the decline in coal quality caused by heat loss caused by rain and fog.

3.Compared with heap storage, the utilization rate of unit land is improved, and the operating cost is low.
Introduction to Concrete Silo
In order to ensure the safe operation of power plants, power plants need a large amount of coal resources, so it is the best choice to choose concrete silos to store coal. Concrete silos can store a certain amount of coal to prevent interruptions in fuel transportation from affecting power production.

The cast-in-place reinforced concrete silo is a traditional and mature silo type, which is widely used in coal, mining, thermal power, metallurgy, building materials and other industrial systems. The main structure of the silo is a reinforced concrete structure, the roof of the silo is a reinforced concrete conical shell top cover, the wall of the silo is a reinforced concrete wall, the underground transportation corridor is a reinforced concrete structure, and the trestle above the silo is a steel structure. The maximum diameter of the concrete silo can reach more than 40-50m, and the height can reach more than 50m.

SRON is a recognized leader in the design and construction of reinforced concrete silos in China. Whether you are storing coal, clay, lime, sand, cement or other aggregates, our technical engineers can help you design the best solution to ensure the safe and economical construction of your concrete silos for maximum benefit.

Features of Concrete Silo

1.Durable, long service life, generally more than 50 years;

2.Small area and high land utilization rate;

3.The thick silo wall, the heat insulation and heat preservation performance are good, and the material is less affected by the external temperature difference, so it is suitable for long-term storage;

4.It can realize self discharge, most of the bulk materials can flow into the vehicle by their own gravity, reduce equipment loss and save power cost;

5.It is convenient for mechanized loading and unloading, saving manpower and management cost;

6.Less maintenance and low maintenance cost.

Precautions and Measures When Storing Coal
1. The position of the concrete silo close to the silo wall is likely to cause the accumulation of coal and cause dead ends. The coal accumulation here will spontaneously ignite after long-term contact with air. The high temperature generated by spontaneous combustion directly acts on the silo wall, which reduces the strength of the silo wall and causes a great safety hazard.

2. Due to the large amount of coal in concrete storage and poor ventilation, when the flammable gas (methane, carbon monoxide) produced by coal reaches a certain concentration, it may catch fire or explode, causing accidents. In order to ensure safe production and ensure personal and equipment safety, a combustible gas alarm and automatic ventilation device is installed in the coal silo. When the combustible gas concentration reaches the lower limit of the dangerous concentration, an alarm signal is issued and the fan is started for ventilation.

SRON Intelligent Coal Loading Station Project
In 2021, our company signed a contract with Pakistan Thar Coalfield for intelligent and quantitative loading station project, which is composed of 2 sets of 1000t coal concrete silo, rapid quantitative loading system, conveying trestle and other related supporting systems. The overall engineering design, equipment supply and construction guidance of the project are all completed by our company. At present, the project has successfully passed the acceptance and handed over to the owner for full production.

After the project is put into operation, the coal transportation from the coalfield to the power plant is upgraded from the original backward forklift coal loading to the precise, rapid and quantitative coal loading at the truck loading station. The operation is simple and convenient, and the coal loading efficiency and accuracy are greatly improved, which promoted the development of the open-pit coal mine towards automation and intelligence. After the project is put into operation, the transportation efficiency of raw coal is greatly improved, with the output up to 50,000 tons/day, which can supply four power plants with 13,000 tons of coal consumption at the same time.

About SRON Silo Engineering
HENAN SRON SILO ENGINEERING Co., Ltd. is China leading reputable EPC Contractor for bulk materials storage silo project, closed storage yard, and bulk material port handling project for grain silo storage solution etc. SRON has the qualifications of Main Contractor for civil construction projects, Main Contractor for mechanical and electrical projects, and Specialized Contractor for steel structure project. We have the complete qualifications in the field of bulk material storage and transportation in China. 
SRON focuses on scientific and technological research, achieving new researching technologies each year. Currently we have 62 patented technology, among which 7 are invention patents.
SRON have built projects in more than 30 countries and regions, including Russia, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Mongolia, Philippines, Peru and so on, with more than 900 sets of steel silos and up to 3 million tons of materials storage capacities, SRON quality and reputation are highly recognized by global users. For more information about Sron Silo Engineering and the Storage silo solution, please contact us or leave your requirements.