AU2012289366B2

AU2012289366B2 - Silo

Info

Publication number: AU2012289366B2
Application number: AU2012289366A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Zuwu CHEN; Yimin CUI; Lishuang HU; Renping HU; Guoxin Li; Jinhua LI; Lin Liu; Zhilin SUN; Chunxin WANG; Shunzhu WANG; Zhenggang Wang; Youquan XIE; Chenghai XING; Jiaming XUE; Taixiang YAN; Yonglong YIN; Jianhai YU; Yi Zeng; Huiqiang ZHANG; Xiwu ZHANG
Original assignee: Water Transport Planning And Design Co Ltd; China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd; CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co Ltd; Shenhua Huanghua Port Co Ltd; Shenhua Tianjin Coal Dock Co Ltd
Current assignee: WATER TRANSPORT PLANNING AND DESIGN CO Ltd; China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd; CCCC First Harbor Engineering Co Ltd; Shenhua Huanghua Port Co Ltd; Shenhua Tianjin Coal Dock Co Ltd
Priority date: 2011-07-26
Filing date: 2012-07-26
Publication date: 2016-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 2032-07-26
Also published as: WO2013013632A1; AU2012289366A1

Abstract

Disclosed is a silo, comprising a silo wall (1), a silo top (2) and a silo bottom structure, and also a central post (7) for supporting the silo top (2), the central post (7) being of a hollow tubular shape, a detection device being provided on the outside wall (8) of the central post (7), and a first opening (9) being provided at an upper end of the central post (7). The silo has a robust structure, good bearing capacity, and is favourable for disposing and arranging a detection device within the silo, such that the temperature, the humidity and other conditions within the silo can be detected conveniently, and in addition, the space inside the central post is accessible via the first opening at the top thereof for maintenance of the detection device and so on.

Description

1 SILO FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to the storage field, and specifically to a silo. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A silo is a warehouse for storing bulk materials, and is divided into two types, an agricultural silo and an industrial silo. The agricultural silo is used for storing granular or powdery materials, for example grain, fodder and the like; and the industrial silo is used for storing bulk materials, for example coal, coke, cement, salt and the like. A mechanized silo can shorten loading and unloading process of materials, reduce the operation and maintenance cost and eliminate the heavy fill-bag operation, and is favourable for mechanized and automated operation, therefore it is the main storage form. The development of the silo as a storage facility for bulk materials has been more than 100 years. Large diameter silos have a short use history in China, and under the influence of various factors, for example economic factors, design technologies, construction technologies and the like, silos in China normally have small capacity. In recent years, a large number of silos with different capacities are constructed successively for mine, grain, power plant, cement and other industries. However, under the influence of the restriction of our standard technology and the late start of the industry, the silos have different levels of shortages both in the design technology and the construction technology Those shortages affect both the construction investment of silos and the safe and regular use of silos, and further affect the wide use of silos. In a large diameter silo, a general central post has a simple function to support a silo top structure, reduce the span of a beam and strengthen the entire silo structure. Since the large diameter silo has a large structure which is inconvenient for equipment maintenance inside the silo as well as the detection and monitoring of the inside environment of the silo and the like, causing inconvenience in use and reduced practicability of the silo, and even affecting the use security and producing various security matters. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the invention may provide a silo, which has a robust structure and good bearing capacity. Meanwhile, the silo can be favourable for disposing and arranging a detection device within the silo, such that the temperature, the humidity and other conditions within the silo can be detected conveniently, and in addition, the space inside the central post is accessible via the opening at the upper end thereof for maintenance of the detection device and so on. In order to achieve the abovementioned purposes, a first aspect of the invention provides a silo comprising a silo wall, a silo top and a silo bottom structure, wherein the silo further comprises a central post for supporting the silo top; the central post being of a hollow tubular shape; a detection device being disposed on the outside wall of the central post; and a first opening being disposed at an upper end of the central post; and a discharge hopper is disposed on the silo bottom structure, wherein the discharge hopper comprises a support and a hopper plate arranged on the support, and wherein the upper periphery of the hopper plate is disposed close to and separated 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 2 from the silo wall. Preferably, the detection device is a temperature sensor and/or humidity sensor. Preferably, multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are disposed and spaced along the axial direction of the central post. Preferably, the multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal distance. Preferably, each set of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors includes multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors disposed and spaced along the circumferential direction of the outside wall of the central post. Preferably, the multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal distance. Preferably, a circuit of the detection device passes through the outside wall of the central post. Preferably, a lifting device is disposed within the central post. Preferably, a ladder is disposed within the central post. Preferably, the ladder is divided into multiple sections. Preferably, a rest platform is disposed between two adjacent sections of the ladder. Preferably, a second opening is disposed at a lower end of the outside wall. Preferably, a channel communicating with the second opening is disposed between the outside wall and the silo wall and leads to the outside of the silo. Preferably, the silo top comprises multiple silo top beams disposed between the central post and the silo wall and a silo top plate disposed on the multiple silo top beams. Preferably, the central post has a height equal to or greater than a height of the silo wall. Preferably, the silo top beams are arranged between the central post and the silo wall at an equal angle by taking the central post as the center. Preferably, the multiple silo top beams and the silo top plate are both concrete structures. Preferably, the multiple silo top beams are orthogonally arranged. Preferably, the silo top further comprises a ring beam arranged by taking the central post as the center of a circle and connected with the silo top beams. Preferably, the silo comprises multiple ring beams. Preferably, a discharge outlet is disposed on the silo top plate. Preferably, the silo comprises multiple discharge outlets. Preferably, the multiple discharge outlets are arranged in a straight line. Preferably, the discharge outlets are arranged in two symmetric columns, with two or three 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 3 discharge outlets in each column. Preferably, the discharge outlet is annular. Preferably, a cover is disposed on the discharge outlet. Preferably, the cover is made of a profiled steel sheet. Preferably, an explosion venting door is disposed on the silo top plate. A discharge hopper is disposed on the silo bottom structure; the discharge hopper comprises a support and a hopper plate arranged on the support; and the upper periphery of the hopper plate is disposed close to and separated from the silo wall. Preferably, the hopper plate is made of a concrete slab. Preferably, the support comprises a support wall and padding packed between the support wall, the hopper plate and the silo wall. Preferably, the padding is a low compressibility material. Preferably, the padding is gravel. Preferably, the discharge hopper has a circular or polygonal cross section. Preferably, multiple discharge hoppers are disposed, and the upper periphery of the hopper plate on the outer side of each discharge hopper is close to and separated from the silo wall, while the upper periphery of the hopper plate on the inner side is close to and separated from the central post. Preferably, the multiple discharge hoppers are arranged in a straight line. Preferably, the discharge hoppers are arranged in two symmetric columns, with two or three discharge hoppers in each column. By the abovementioned technical solution, a central post is disposed in the silo (especially a large-scale silo) for supporting the silo top of the silo, thereby reducing the span of the silo top beams, such that a silo top with a concrete structure may be employed in the silo with large capacity, the bearing capacity of the silo can be expanded, the integrality can be relatively good and the structure stability can be improved. Since the silo top can have a concrete structure which may avoid the corrosion of harmful gas within the silo, the silo can have good fireproofing and higher security. Due to the presence of the central post of the silo, a detection device, such as a temperature measuring device, a humidity measuring device, a gas detection device or a material level detection device and the like, can be mounted on the outside wall of the central post so as to facilitate the detection of the temperature, humidity, gas or material level and the like within the silo, especially the environment condition in the silo central position in the large-scale silo, which can achieve better monitoring of the inside environment of the silo and control thereof. Meanwhile, the central post is constructed as a hollow tubular shape which can save materials with assurance of enough structure strength. Furthermore, an opening is disposed at an upper end of the central post, and a door or cover plate can be mounted on the opening for preventing leakage of rain and the like. Moreover, the space inside the central post can be accessible via the opening for 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 4 maintenance, inspection and the like of the instrument, circuit and the like of various detection devices within the central post. In this way, the structure of the silo can be strengthened, the detection device can be conveniently mounted for monitoring the inside environment of the silo, and the silo can be convenient and safe to use. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying non-limiting drawings are used to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and other embodiments, and constitute a part of this specification, and together with the following detailed description serve to explain, by way of example only, embodiments of the invention without limitation to the invention, in which: FIG 1 is a schematic diagram of a silo of an embodiment; FIG 2 is a top view of the silo of the embodiment; and FIG 3 is a top view of a silo bottom structure of the silo of the embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS The detailed description of embodiments of the invention and other embodiments is illustrated taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description described herein is only for illustration and explanation of the invention but not for limitation thereof In embodiments, unless specified to the contrary, the following nouns of locality are used herein: "above" and "below" generally refer to the height from the ground, the higher means the "above" and the lower means the "below"; and "inside" and "outside" refer to the distance from the central post 7, the closer means the "inside", and the further means the "outside". The silo of the invention has various embodiments suitable for silos with various sizes and capacity requirements and has various preferred embodiments according to the specific use requirement of the silo. The technical solution of the invention is described in combination with various specific embodiments. As shown in FIG 1, the silo of an embodiment has a silo wall 1, a silo top 2 and a silo bottom structure. The silo wall 1 can form any shape, such as a circular, square and other shapes, and preferably form a circular silo. A central post 7 may be disposed or may be omitted in such a silo. Generally, in a silo with large capacity, since the silo has a large diameter span, and the silo top beam 3 of the silo top 2 has a large span, a silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3 can only be steel structures. However, the plate and beam with a steel structure are easily corroded by the harmful gas within the silo and are difficult to maintain. Further, the steel structure has poor fireproof performance and easily leads to security incidents. The silo top plate 4 can only bear a light load and has poor bearing capacity. Meanwhile, the top of the silo is basically in a free state without being restrained by other structures, which is disadvantageous to the integrity and stability of the silo. Accordingly, a central post 7 is usually disposed within the silo for supporting the silo top 2 so as to enable the silo to have a stable and firm structure as well as a high force bearing strength. At this time, as shown in FIG 2, the silo top beam 3 of the silo top 2 is disposed between the central 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 5 post 7 and the silo wall 1, and the silo top plate 4 is disposed on the silo top beam 3 to cover the inside of the silo, preventing grain or coal and the like stored in the silo from sun and rain. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG 2, multiple silo top beams 3 are disposed and arranged radially, i.e., at an equal angle, or the silo top beams 3 are arranged orthogonally, i.e., in a crisscross pattern, and parallel to or vertical to each other to form a square grid. Preferably, the silo top beams 3 are arranged between the central post 7 and the silo wall 1 at an equal angle by taking the central post 7 as the center, such that the central post 7 bears a force evenly and the structure of the silo top 2 is more stable. Among the above, as shown in FIG 1, the height of the central post 7 may be equal to that of the silo wall 1 so as to form a planar silo top 2, to facilitate disposing a conveyer rail and devices for material distribution above the silo top 2 and to reduce the height of the silo. Furthermore, the height of the central post 7 may be greater than the height of the silo wall 1 so as to form an ogival silo top 2 to facilitate water drainage, etc. However, in a small-scale silo, since the silo top beam 3 of the silo top 2 has a small span, a central post 7 may be omitted for simplifying structure and saving cost. In this way, multiple silo top beams 3 of the silo top 2 are directly disposed on the top of the silo wall 1 and arranged radially, and the silo top plate 4 is directly disposed on the silo top beams 3. But in order to strengthen the structure strength of the silo and improve the bearing strength of the silo top 2, a central post 7 may also be disposed in the central position within the silo wall 1. The silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3 may be made of various materials (e.g., steels, concrete and the like) and also in various ways. Preferably, the silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3 both have a concrete structure and can be formed in either a concrete precast or a concrete cast-in-place way so as to satisfy the use requirement. In order to increase the force bearing strength of the silo top 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a ring beam 5 may be arranged on the silo top 2. The ring beam 5 may be of any shape, preferably circular shape, so that the ring beam 5 is arranged by taking the center of the silo top 2 as the center of a circle and intersects the silo top beam 3 to form a silo top 2 that has a stable structure and good bearing capacity. Moreover, the construction method of the ring beam 5 is flexible and the ring beam 5 can be both precast and cast in place. More preferably, multiple ring beams 5 are disposed to make the structure more stable. In order to conveniently transfer materials into the silo for storage, as shown in FIG 1, a discharge outlet 6 is disposed on the silo top plate 4. The discharge outlet 6 may be of any shape, such as square, circular and other shapes. Multiple discharge outlets 6 are disposed on the silo top plate 4 for improving the discharge speed. A conveyer rail is arranged above the silo, on which a conveyer trolley operates. The multiple discharge outlets 6 may be randomly arranged, but for simplifying structure, the multiple discharge outlets 6 are arranged in a straight line, such that the conveyer rail may be configured as a straight line matching with the structure of the silo. Furthermore, the discharge outlet 6 may be annular so as to match with a rotational material distributor above the silo, to facilitate material distribution. Preferably, according to the size of the silo and the operation characteristic of the conveyer equipment, the discharge outlets 6 are arranged in two symmetric columns, so that the discharge equipment can be symmetrically arranged, and bear 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 6 symmetric forces on both sides when filled with materials. Meanwhile, two or three discharge outlets 6 are arranged in each column, which meets the requirement of discharge speed. A cover is disposed on the discharge outlet 6 for preventing leakage of rain, dust and the like and for ventilating. Preferably, the cover may be made of a profiled steel sheet. When there is too much gas inside the silo, the pressure will rise, and the cover deforms under the pressure so as to realize ventilating, which saves cost. In this way, the discharge outlet 6 can be used for both feeding and explosion venting. In another embodiment, an explosion venting door is disposed on the silo top plate 4 for explosion venting when the pressure inside the silo is too high, so as to guarantee the safe use of the silo. Among the above, the central post 7 may have any cross section shape, such as square or circular shape. The central post 7 may also be constructed to be solid or hollow as required. In the silo of an embodiment, the hollow tubular central post 7 can save materials with assurance of enough structure strength. Furthermore, a detection device, such as a temperature device, a humidity measuring device, a gas detection device or a material level detection device and the like, may be mounted on the outside wall 8 of the central post 7 so as to detect the temperature, humidity, gas or material level and the like within the silo, especially the environment condition in the silo central position in the large-scale silo, achieving better monitoring of the inside environment of the silo and control thereof Specifically, due to the structure characteristic and control way of the detection device itself, a temperature sensor and/or humidity sensor is preferably disposed on the outside wall 8 of the central post 7 so as to detect the temperature and humidity near the central post 7, thereby achieving better monitoring and controlling of the inside environment of the entire silo and satisfying the use requirements of the silo. One set or multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors may be disposed. Preferably, multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are disposed and spaced along the axial direction of the central post 7, to detect the temperature and humidity in various positions from top to bottom inside the silo, so as to avoid there are undetected positions when temperatures and humidities in various positions in the height direction of the large-scale silo are different. More preferably, multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal distance, so as to reduce use of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors while avoiding overlapping of the detection areas. Moreover, according to the size of the silo and the detection range of the temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors, the set number of the temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors and the distance between each set can be determined, for example, 3-5 sets are disposed, and each set is spaced by 5-10 m. This is suitable for a silo with a height of 20-60 m. Each set may include one or more temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors. When each set include one sensor, various sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors can be arranged evenly in the circumferential direction, i.e., various sensors are distributed at an equal angle in the same horizontal plane; and when each set includes multiple sensors, multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced along the circumferential direction of the outside wall 8 of the central post 7 so as to comprehensively detect each position in the circumferential direction of the silo. More preferably, multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 7 distance, so as to reduce the number of the temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors and save cost while achieving comprehensive detection. Moreover, according to the size of the silo and the detection range of the temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors, the set number of the temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors and the distance between each set can be determined, for example, 3-5 sets are disposed, and each set is spaced by 1-5 m. This is suitable for a silo having a central post with a perimeter of 3-25 m. Among the above, a circuit of the detection device can pass through the outside wall 8 of the central post 7, and an inspection port can be disposed on the outside wall 8 so as to prevent the circuit of the detection device from outside disturbance, corrosion of gas and the like. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a first opening 9 is disposed at an upper end of the central post 7 as the entry for the access of the personnel. A door or cover plate may be mounted on the first opening 9 for preventing the leakage of rain, falling objects and the like. The space inside the central post 7 is accessible via the first opening 9 for maintenance, inspection and the like of the instrument, circuit and the like of various detection devices. For convenience of the access of the personnel, i.e., access by proximity to the space inside the central post 7, a second opening may be preferably disposed at a lower end of the outside wall 8 of the central post 7. The second opening may be configured as a door. The maintenance personnel can access the space inside the central post 7 from the first opening 9 for maintenance from top to bottom and exit the central post 7 from the second opening, or vice versa. Meanwhile, a corresponding opening is also disposed on the silo wall 1, and a channel communicating with the second opening is disposed between the outside wall 8 of the central post 7 and the silo wall 1 and leads to the outside of the silo, so that the maintenance personnel can access the space inside the central post from the outside of the silo via the channel, which is convenient for personnel to access. As such, the central post 7 not only realizes supporting of the structure of the silo top 2 for strengthening, but also brings convenience for mounting of the detection device, facilitates the monitoring of the inside environment of the silo and realizes convenient and safe use of the silo. Among the above, a lifting device, such as a lift, may be disposed within the central post 7, which is convenient for the personnel to move up and down in the central post 7. As shown in FIG 1, a ladder 10 which has a simple structure and low cost may also be disposed within the central post 7. The ladder 10 may be divided into multiple sections, each of which is staggered for preventing climbing fatigue of the personnel and for facilitating material selection. A rest platform 11 may also be disposed between two sections of the ladder 10 for the maintenance personnel to rest and to detect equipments. Accordingly, as shown in FIG 3, a discharge hopper 12 is disposed on the silo bottom structure within the silo, from which the materials in the silo can be transported out of the silo. The cross section of the discharge hopper 12 may be circular or polygonal, wherein the circular cross section is beneficial to speed up discharge, and the polygonal cross section is convenient to construct. Since the upper periphery of a hopper plate 14 of the discharge hopper 12 of a common silo is connected with the silo wall 1 of the silo, the hopper plate 14, which is the main force bearing element, is required to employ a prestressed concrete structure plate and has good bearing capacity, so that the force bearing conditions of the silo wall 1 and the discharge hopper 12 are complex, which presents difficulty in design and construction of the silo, makes the connection of the silo 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 8 wall 1 and the discharge hopper 12 complex, affects the feasibility and continuity of construction and increases the construction cost of the silo. Accordingly, the discharge hopper 12 of an embodiment includes a support 13 and a hopper plate 14 arranged on the support 13. The support 13 provides the discharge hopper 12 with a stable structure, such that it can bear the pressure of materials above the hopper. The hopper plate 14 may be made of a concrete slab in either a precast or a cast-in-place way. The upper periphery of the hopper plate 14 is disposed close to the silo wall 1 and separated from the silo wall 1, i.e., without any connection between the discharge hopper 12 and the silo wall 1. The discharge hopper 12 and the silo wall 1 have simple force bearing condition, thus the discharge hopper 12 can be constructed independently without concern for the structure and force bearing of the silo wall 1, and the construction method thereof is simple and practicable. Furthermore, since the hopper plate 14 is not connected with the silo wall 1, the prestressing of the hopper plate 14 is not required in the construction, thereby saving construction time and improving operation efficiency The support 13 may be in a form of a pile body. As shown in FIG. 3, preferably, the support 13 comprises a support wall 15 and padding 16 packed between the support wall 15, the hopper plate 14 and the silo wall 1. The support 13 is configured as two opposite walls running through the silo bottom. The space between the two opposite walls is a channel of the conveyer belt. The support 13 with such a structure is simple and practicable to construct, and has low cost, stable force bearing and better bearing capacity. Preferably, the padding 16 is a low compressibility material and has a low compression under a force, generally less than 5 %. More preferably, the padding 16 is gravel, so that after formation of the discharge hopper 12, the hopper plate 14 will not sink and break under a pressure because of compression of the padding 16. Any number of discharge hoppers 12 may be disposed. Where multiple discharge hoppers 12 are disposed, if the central post 7 is disposed in the silo, the multiple discharge hoppers 12 are disposed between the silo wall 1 and the central post 7 around the central post 7. And, the upper periphery of the hopper plate 14 on the outer side of each discharge hopper 12 is close to and separated from the silo wall 1, and the upper periphery of the hopper plate 14 on the inner side is close to and separated from the central post 7. The upper peripheries of the adjacent discharge hoppers 12 are connected with each other to form a one-piece supporting surface to support the materials above, so that the materials can only flow out of the inside of the silo from the hopper opening of the discharge hopper 12. Since the channel of the conveyer belt is configured as two parallel channels running through the silo bottom of the silo, as shown in FIG. 3, preferably, multiple discharge hoppers 12 are arranged in a straight line, and more preferably, the discharge hoppers 12 are arranged in two symmetric columns, with two or three discharge hoppers 12 in each column. This satisfies the requirement of discharge speed and provides a less complicated structure that is convenient to construct and use. The construction method of the silo of an embodiment is described as follows. First, the construction of foundation is carried out to form the foundation of the silo. In the construction of foundation, multiple pile foundations are formed, and a bearing platform is formed on the top of the multiple pile foundations to form a stable foundation. Preferably, the pile 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 9 foundations are formed by using a construction process of post grouting that is suitable for the construction of the silo and is simple and practicable. The construction of the bearing platfonn has two steps: forming strip foundations of the inner and outer rings, wherein the strip foundation of the outer ring is mainly used for supporting the silo wall 1 so as to stabilize the structure thereof, and the strip foundation of the inner ring is mainly used for supporting the central post 7 so as to enable the central post 7 to bear a force stably; and forming a raft foundation, wherein the raft foundation connects the strip foundations of the inner and outer rings to fonn a foundation. All the foundations are connected together to form a force bearing surface, i.e., a bearing platform. This can enable the silo to bear a force evenly and to have better bearing capacity. After foundation construction, the silo wall 1 is formed on the foundation. The construction of the silo wall 1 may use a construction process of slip form to form the silo wall 1 with a designed height. The construction process of slip form is especially suitable for the characteristic of thin and high silo wall 1 of the silo, convenient to construct and practicable. After the completion of the construction of the silo wall 1, the silo top 2 is formed on the top of the silo wall 1. The construction of the silo top 2 has two steps, i.e., the construction step of the silo top beam 3: the silo top beam 3 is formed in a concrete precast or a concrete cast-in-place way and disposed between the silo wall 1 and the central post 7 so as to reduce the span of the silo top beam 3; and the construction step of the silo top plate 4: the silo top plate 4 is formed in a concrete precast or a concrete cast-in-place way and covers the silo top beam 3 to cover the inside space of the silo. When the silo is disposed with a ring beam 5, the construction step of the silo top 2 further includes the construction step of the ring beam 5, which is carried out at the same time as the construction step of the silo top beam 3. The ring beam 5 is formed in a concrete precast or a concrete cast-in-place way and disposed between the silo top beams 3 to form a sealed ring. The silo top beams 3 and the ring beam 5 are connected together, such that the silo top 2 bears a force evenly. If the concrete cast-in-place way is used for the silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3, the entire silo top 2 is formed integrally, i.e., the silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3 are constructed at the same time in a simple construction way. If the concrete precast way is used for the silo top plate 4 and the silo top beam 3, since various structures of the silo top 2 can be precast while carrying out the construction of the foundation or silo wall 1 and directly mounted after completion of the silo wall 1, the project duration may be shortened. The construction method of the silo further includes the construction step of the discharge hopper 12: the discharge hopper 12 including a support 13 and a hopper plate 14 is formed within the silo, the support 13 is disposed on the foundation, the hopper plate 14 is arranged on the support 13 and the upper periphery of the hopper plate 14 is separated from the silo wall 1. The discharge hopper 12 can be formed either after completion of the construction of the silo wall 1 and prior to the construction of the silo top 2, or at the same time as the construction of the silo wall 1 after the height of the silo wall 1 is greater than that of the discharge hopper 12 in the construction process of the silo wall 1. The construction of the discharge hopper 12 includes: first carrying out the construction of the support walls 15, wherein the support walls 15 are formed on the foundation to form a channel between two opposing support walls 15 which run through the silo bottom of the silo for passing the conveyer belt; and then carrying out the construction of the hopper plate 14, wherein the padding 16 is packed on the outer side of the support wall 15, and the hopper plate 14 having a certain gradient is formed above the padding 16 to enable the materials to slip down 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 10 because of gravity. The construction step of the hopper plate 14 includes: forming a part of the hopper plate 14 having a predetermined height and packing the padding 16 below the formed part of the hopper plate 14. The packing of the padding 16 and the formation of the hopper plate 14 are alternately carried out until the discharge hopper 12 reaches the designed height. Such a construction method is simple and the structure is firm. The construction method is flexible and suitable for the construction of the silo of various sizes. In a silo disposed with a central post 7, the construction method further includes the construction step of the central post 7 to form the central post 7 in the central position of the silo for supporting the silo top 2, such that the silo has better bearing capacity. Preferably, the construction step of the central post 7 is carried out at the same time as that of the silo wall 1 so as to shorten the project duration. At this point, the discharge hopper 12 is formed between the central post 7 and the silo wall 1, i.e., the discharge hopper 12 is constructed in a space between the silo wall 1 and the central post 7. Preferably, multiple discharge hoppers 12 are formed in the construction step of the discharge hopper 12 so as to satisfy the requirement of discharge speed. More preferably, multiple discharge hoppers 12 are constructed at the same time to shorten the construction duration and to improve construction efficiency In the construction method of a preferred embodiment, the upper periphery on the outer side of each discharge hopper 12 is close to and separated from the silo wall 1, and the upper periphery on the inner side is close to and separated from the central post 7. The discharge hopper 12 is not connected with the silo wall 1 and the central post 7, so that the force bearing conditions thereof are not relevant. The discharge hopper 12 can be constructed independently without concern for the structure and force bearing of the silo wall 1 and the central post 7, and the construction method is simple and practicable. Furthermore, since the hopper plate 14 is not connected with the silo wall 1 and the central post 7, the prestressing of the hopper plate 14 is not required in the construction, thereby saving construction time and improving operation efficiency This finally forms a silo of an embodiment. The construction method is simple and practicable. The force bearing conditions of various components are simple, and the entire silo has stable force bearing and good bearing capacity. The preferred embodiment is described above in detail taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the invention is not limited to the specific details in the embodiment described above. Various simple variations which fall within the protection scope of the invention can be made to the technical solution of the invention without departing from the technical idea of the invention. In addition, it should be noted that various specific technical features described in the abovementioned specific embodiment can be combined in any suitable way without any contradiction. Various possible combination ways will not be stated in the invention in order to avoid unnecessary repetition. Moreover, various different embodiments of the invention can be randomly combined, and should also be construed as the content disclosed in the invention as long as they do not depart from the idea of the invention. It is to be understood that, if any prior art publication is referred to herein, such reference does not 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 11 constitute an admission that the publication forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or any other country. In the claims which follow and in the preceding description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET

Claims

1. A silo comprising a silo wall, a silo top and a silo bottom structure, wherein the silo further comprises a central post for supporting the silo top; the central post being of a hollow tubular shape; a detection device being disposed on an outside wall of the central post; a first opening being disposed at an upper end of the central post; and a discharge hopper is disposed on the silo bottom structure, wherein the discharge hopper comprises a support and a hopper plate arranged on the support, and wherein the upper periphery of the hopper plate is disposed close to and separated from the silo wall.

2. The silo according to claim 1, wherein the detection device is a temperature sensor and/or humidity sensor, wherein multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are disposed and spaced along the axial direction of the central post, and wherein each set of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors includes multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors disposed and spaced along the circumferential direction of the outside wall of the central post.

3. The silo according claim 2, wherein the multiple sets of temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal distance, and wherein the multiple temperature sensors and/or humidity sensors are spaced at an equal distance.

4. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a circuit of the detection device passes through the outside wall of the central post.

5. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a lifting device is disposed within the central post.

6. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a ladder is disposed within the central post, wherein the ladder is divided into multiple sections, and wherein a rest platform is disposed between two adjacent sections of the ladder.

7. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a second opening is disposed at a lower end of the outside wall, wherein a channel communicating with the second opening is disposed between the outside wall and the silo wall and leads to the outside of the silo.

8. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the silo top comprises multiple silo top beams disposed between the central post and the silo wall and a silo top plate disposed on the multiple silo top beams, wherein the multiple silo top beams are orthogonally arranged.

9. The silo according to claim 8, wherein the central post has a height equal to or greater than a height of the silo wall, wherein the silo top beams are arranged between the central post and the silo wall at an equal angle by taking the central post as the center.

10. The silo according to any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the silo top further comprises a ring beam arranged by taking the central post as the center of a circle and connected with the silo top beams, wherein the silo comprises multiple ring beams.

11. The silo according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein a discharge outlet is disposed on 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET 13 the silo top plate, wherein the silo comprises multiple discharge outlets, wherein the multiple discharge outlets are arranged in a straight line, wherein the discharge outlets are arranged in two symmetric columns, with two or three discharge outlets in each column.

12. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein a cover is disposed on the discharge outlet, wherein the cover is made of a profiled steel sheet, wherein an explosion venting door is disposed on the silo top plate.

13. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the hopper plate is made of a concrete slab.

14. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the support comprises a support wall and padding packed between the support wall, the hopper plate and the silo wall.

15. The silo according to claim 14, wherein the padding is a low compressibility material.

16. The silo according to claim 15, wherein the padding is gravel.

17. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the discharge hopper has a circular or polygonal cross section.

18. The silo according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein multiple discharge hoppers are disposed, and the upper periphery of the hopper plate on the outer side of each discharge hopper is close to and separated from the silo wall, while the upper periphery of the hopper plate on the inner side is close to and separated from the central post.

19. The silo according to claim 18, wherein the multiple discharge hoppers are arranged in a straight line.

20. The silo according to claim 19, wherein the discharge hoppers are arranged in two symmetric columns, with two or three discharge hoppers in each column. 7477540_1 (GHMatters) P96357.AU DENISET