ES2859104T3 - A silo and procedure for transporting and assembling said silo - Google Patents

Abstract

Procedure for transporting and assembling at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30) for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising: providing a silo body (11a-11d), the silo body (11a- 11d) a cargo container; providing within the silo body (11a-11d): a hopper (12a-12d) or components for making the hopper (12a-12d); and a support structure (13) of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30); transport, to an installation place of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) with the support structure (13) and the hopper (12a-12d) or the components to manufacture the hopper (12a-12d) arranged inside the silo body (11a-11d); assembling, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the hopper (12a-12d) and the silo body (11a-11d) at a first end thereof; and providing, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) on the support structure (13).

Description

DESCRIPTION

A silo and procedure for transporting and assembling said silo

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of silos for the storage of materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to a silo and a method for transporting and assembling said silo that allows cost savings while improving quality.

State of the art

Silos have been known for a long time as they have been quite necessary for the storage of material. In many cases, silos store granulated material, powder material, among others. Despite the somewhat simple construction or assembly of a silo, efforts have been made in the prior art to further improve the assembly and / or installation of silos.

Patent document WO-2015134338-A1 discloses a temporary injection or addition system. In such a system, a silo can be mounted on a trailer, in a transfer chamber, and / or it can be mounted on a control system on the trailer, transporting the silo to a job site, and self-erecting to stand vertically on the site. towing at the job site or disassembling the silo at the job site.

Patent document WO-9606753-A1 refers to a transport vehicle that allows receiving and depositing a container such as a silo. The transport vehicle includes a pivoting device with two arms in parallel that are pivoted upon receiving and depositing the silo, thus making it possible to lift the silo at an installation site. Patent document EP-1871697-B1 discloses containers for storing granules and dry powders, such containers being silos in some examples. A cylindrical silo can be transported and raised on a concrete base to install it in a specific location. The cylindrical silo may have a filter mounted thereon that fits within the space between the silo and the support structure.

In patent document US-2013142601-A1 a transportable self-erecting silo system for oil and natural gas is disclosed. The patent document describes a trailer that includes a tipping mechanism coupled with a towing platform and a swing arm. The silo is mounted on the truck, and by means of the tilting mechanism and hydraulic jacks the silo can be raised and rotated for its installation.

In some installation sites, the construction of silos is expensive due to the lack of facilities or machinery to carry out this task. Respectively, there is a need to minimize the number of tasks to be performed at an installation site and to reduce the complexity of such tasks. It is preferable that most silo construction and / or assembly tasks can be performed on a company's premises, even if the premises are remote from the installation site.

The inventors have found that silos can be further improved in terms of transportation and assembly thereof in order to save time and costs when new silos need to be installed at a specific location. DE 3320029 C1, US 4338752 A and DE3430039A1 disclose folding silos.

Document DE 2621009 A1 discloses a silo assembly for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising a silo body and a hopper, the hopper being arranged inside the silo body, the assembly comprising a support structure arranged in the interior of the silo body, said support structure being intended to support the silo body at an installation site.

Description of the invention

A first aspect of the invention refers to a method of transporting and assembling at least one silo for storing granulated or powdered material according to claim 1.

The method for transporting and assembling at least one silo of the present disclosure makes it possible to prepare one or more silos in a place where the facilities and machines for preparing the silos are available, and to transport the one or more prepared silos to a place where they will be installed for their final assembly. This is specifically advantageous to simplify the installation of new silos in those places where labor, machinery and / or facilities for the construction of silos are scarce or expensive. Respectively, the process of this aspect of the invention reduces the number of operations that need to be carried out at the installation site with regard to the construction of the silo. As the silo body is already built, it is only necessary to assemble the hopper and the supporting structure.

In order to facilitate the transportation and assembly of the at least one silo, the silo body is adapted to house some or all of the components necessary for the installation of the at least one silo at the installation site. In this sense, the hopper or the components for its manufacture can be arranged inside the silo body in such a way that the transport of the silo body already provides the transport of the other components. This saves time and simplifies transport, as only the silo body has to be attached to a means of transport (e.g. a ship, a truck, a train, etc.) as the remaining components are already stored within the silo body.

Upon arrival at the place of installation, the components that are in the silo body are removed from it in such a way that the hopper can be mechanically coupled with the silo body. When the components for making the hopper are arranged inside the silo body, then the hopper is first assembled and then mechanically coupled with the silo body. Similarly, the supporting structure is also assembled in such a way that the silo body can be placed on top of it and therefore the hopper can provide the material at the bottom of the silo through the discharge opening thereof.

The silo body is provided in the form of a loading container, thereby reducing the cost of transportation and assembly of the silo.

In some preferred embodiments, the at least one silo is for the storage of powdered or granulated edible material.

In some embodiments, one shape of the silo body is a parallelepiped.

In contrast to a silo body that has a cylindrical shape or geometry, since the shape of the silo body comprises six flat faces (for example, cuboid, cube, etc.), transportation of the silo body is simple in that refers to fastening the silo body to a means of transport. Additionally, the same shape is also advantageous for housing components within the silo body for transportation.

In some of these embodiments, the method further comprises removing, from the silo body, at least one door from a first end or a second end of the silo body; wherein a step of removing at least one door from the silo body takes place after a step of transporting, to an installation site of the at least one silo, the silo body.

It is not necessary to remove one of the end walls and can serve as a top cover. It only needs to be modified, for example with a power input. Obviously, these modifications will be made at the installation site.

When the silo body is a loading container, it may be advantageous to maintain the entire structure of the loading container (ie all six sides of the container) to secure the components stored within the silo body. Then, at the installation site of the at least one silo, at least one door can be removed from one end of the container such that the container can function as a silo.

In some of these embodiments, the method further comprises providing at least one plate on an inside face of each wall of the silo body, each at least one plate preferably comprising a food paint on one face thereof.

Since the walls of a cargo container can comprise grooves, projections and / or recesses, mainly due to the ribs or the corrugated shape of the wall (to provide rigidity to the walls), in order to store the material within the al minus one silo, it is desirable that the interior face of the container walls is flat. By providing from inside the silo body at least one plate on each of these walls, the surface becomes flat. Preferably, each of these plates is coated or painted with food paint.

Another reason to attach the plates to the inside surface of the corrugated walls of the silo is to provide more rigidity. In some cases, the lower plates may be thicker than the upper plates, since the pressure is higher at the bottom due to the pressure from the column.

The plates, as in the prior art, are preferably provided with through openings that coincide with the segments of the (corrugated) wall that are more interior, in such a way that it is possible to weld the plates to the ribs, which will be placed horizontally when the container is placed vertically.

In some of these embodiments, the cargo container is a marine container.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises painting an inside face of each wall of the silo body with food paint.

In some embodiments, a step of assembling the hopper and the silo body at a first end thereof takes place after a step of providing, at the installation site of the at least one silo, the silo body in the support structure.

In some embodiments, a step of providing, at the installation site of the at least one silo, the silo body on the support structure comprises lifting the silo body with a crane and with the crane positioning the silo body vertically in the support structure.

The use of cranes in some places can be difficult depending on the geometry of the terrain, the presence of buildings that block the free movement of the cranes, etc. and it can also be expensive (for example, if a small number of cranes are available). In some cases, the use of a crane may be limited to lifting the silo body in order to form the at least one silo, thus simplifying the assembly of the at least one silo.

In some embodiments, the silo body is a first silo body, and the method further comprises:

providing a second, third and fourth silo bodies;

for each of the second, third and fourth silo bodies:

providing within the silo body a hopper or components for making the hopper;

transporting, to the place of installation of the at least one silo, the silo body with the hopper or components for manufacturing the hopper arranged inside the silo body;

assembling, at the place of installation of the at least one silo, the hopper with the silo body at a first end thereof; and

providing, at the installation site of the at least one silo, the silo body on the support structure;

providing a combination hopper such that an opening thereof is coupled with a discharge opening of each hopper assembled to the first, second, third and fourth silo bodies.

In some cases, a plurality of silos are transported and assembled in order to form an assembly of silos. Each of the silos to be assembled can house the components necessary for their construction.

By mechanically coupling a combination hopper with the discharge opening of each hopper of the four silos, an assembly can be provided with a single discharge opening (that of the combination hopper). In the context of the present disclosure, the term "master" of "combination hopper" only indicates that it is a hopper that is used to collect material that is discharged from each silo of the silo assembly. It is clear that the term "hopper" can simply be used instead of "combination hopper" without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the dimensions of the silo body are those defined in the ISO 1496 standard, or any update thereof.

A second aspect of the invention refers to a silo according to claim 11 for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising:

a silo body, the shape of the silo body being a parallelepiped; and

a hopper adapted to be included within the silo body and to be mechanically coupled to the silo body at a first end of the silo body.

The silo body is provided in the form of a loading container, thereby reducing the cost of transportation and assembly of the silo.

Prior to silo assembly, the silo is adapted for cost-effective transport and installation. In this sense, the silo body has a parallelepiped geometry that simplifies transport (it can be easily attached to a means of transport) and makes it possible to transport the components that make up the silo body without increasing the volume to be transported ( because the components are included within the silo body).

The silo further comprises a support structure adapted to be included within the silo body and to support the silo body when the silo body and hopper are mechanically coupled.

The silo body can also store within it the support structure that holds the silo upright.

In some preferred embodiments, the silo is for the storage of powdered or granulated edible material.

In some of these embodiments, the cargo container is a marine container.

In some embodiments, the silo body dimensions are dimensions defined in ISO 1496 and all updates to it.

Advantages similar to those described for the first aspect of the invention can also be applied to the second aspect of the invention.

A third aspect of the invention refers to an assembly of silos for storing granulated or powdered material, comprising:

four silos according to the second aspect of the invention;

a support structure to support the four silos; and

a combination hopper;

each of the four silos is in contact with two other of the four silos; and

the combination hopper is provided such that an opening thereof is coupled with a discharge opening of each hopper of the four silos.

In some preferred embodiments, each of the four silos is for the storage of powdered or granulated edible material.

Advantages similar to those described for the second aspect of the invention can also be applied to the third aspect of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

To complete the description and in order to provide a better understanding of the invention, a set of drawings is provided. Said drawings form an integral part of the description and illustrate an embodiment of the invention, which should not be construed as a restriction of the scope of the invention, but only as examples of how the invention can be carried out. The drawings comprise the following figures:

Figures 1-4 show silos, which can be transported and assembled, according to embodiments of the invention.

Figure 5 shows an assembled support structure of a silo.

Figure 6 shows a silo body mounted on a support structure.

Figure 7 shows a silo body according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figures 8A-8B show a method of lifting a silo body.

Figure 9 shows a procedure for coupling a hopper with a silo body.

Figures 10-12 partially show silo assemblies in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

Figure 13 shows a silo assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

Description of ways of carrying out the invention

As shown in the figures, the present invention relates to a method for transporting and assembling at least one silo 10a-10d, 25, 30 for the storage of granulated or powdered material. Mainly, the great improvement of the present invention is that a container for transporting the silo, at the installation site, will be the silo body itself. This will allow many assembly steps to be moved to the site where the container is built, thus allowing many cost savings at the installation site. Surprisingly, the inventors have found that with little or no modifications, current containers can perfectly fulfill the function of a silo body.

To this end, the inventive method comprises the following steps:

First, a step of providing a silo body 11a-11d; This first stage already allows to save costs and even improve the quality of the silo body, because instead of leaving the manufacturing steps of the silo body to the personnel available at the installation site, they are carried out in the container manufacturer's facilities. These manufacturers manufacture a large number of containers and can do so in an industrialized way and meeting quality standards. Of course, since they are manufactured with current techniques, that is, by assembling the pieces that will make up the silo at the installation site, the end result is left to chance from the manufacturing conditions at the installation site. This is all the more true as these silos are often installed in developing countries, where skilled labor is scarce and construction tools are expensive and perhaps also in short supply. Modification of the container so that it is fully adapted to form the silo body can be done at the container manufacturer's facilities or at the silo manufacturer.

Second, a step of providing inside the silo body 11a-11d:

a hopper 12a-12d or components to make the hopper 12a-12d; and

a support structure 13 of the at least one silo 10a-10d, 25, 30;

These stages, represented through Figures 1 to 3, are possible since there is enough space in the body to store the hopper and the support structure. And it is not necessary to store the plates that make the silo body in it, as is currently done.

Next, the method continues to transport, to a silo installation site 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11d with the support structure 13 and the hopper 12a-12d or components to manufacture the hopper 12a- 12d arranged inside the silo body 11a-11d; Since the silo body will be made of a container specially designed for transport, this stage will be carried out optimally.

Finally, the method continues by assembling, at the silo installation site 10a-10d, 25, 30, the hopper 12a-12d and the silo body 11a-11d at a first end thereof; and mounting, at the silo installation site 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11d on the support structure 13.

As shown in the figures, the shape of the silo body 1 is a parallelepiped, and specifically, the silo body 11a-11d is a cargo container, preferably a marine container, with standard dimensions. For example, the container can be 6 meters (20 feet), 12 meters (40 feet), or a cube container that is 12 meters (40 feet) high, whose length x width x height can be approximately respectively:

1 foot (or ft) = 0.3 meters (m)

6 meters (20 feet): 6 m x 2.4 m x 2.5 m

12 meters (40 feet): 12.2 mx 2.4 m x 2.6 m

12 meter (40 ft) high cube: 12.2 m x 2.4 m x 2.9 m

The method may comprise the step of removing, from the silo body 11a-11d, the doors of a first end or a second end of the silo body; the step of removing the door from the silo body 11a-11d takes place after a step of transporting, to an installation site of the silo 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11d. One of the door or end walls must be removed, as this end will form the open end of the silo body, such that the products stored therein can pass into the hopper.

Depending on the merchandise to be stored inside the silo, the method may further comprise providing plates on the inside face of each wall of the silo body 11a-11d. These plates can preferably be coated with a food paint on one of their faces. By food paint is meant a paint compatible with food storage. Again, this is a stage that can be carried out at the silo manufacturer's facilities, in series.

Advantageously, the step of assembling the hopper 12a-12d and the silo body 11a-11d at a first end thereof takes place after a step of providing, at the place of installation of the silo 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11 d on support structure 13.

The step of providing, at the silo 10a-10d, 25, 30 installation site, the silo body 11a-11d on the support structure 13 comprises lifting the silo body 11a-11d with a crane and positioning with the crane the silo body 11 a-11d vertically on the support structure 13, as shown in Figures 8A to 9.

Next, another embodiment of the invention is disclosed, comprising a plurality of silos, which are joined to form a matrix or silos. Although the method is specifically disclosed and illustrated for four silos, it is also possible to apply it to just two or three silos, or to more than four silos.

As shown in Figures 10 to 13, silo body 11a-11d is a first silo body 11a-11d, and the method further comprises:

providing second, third and fourth silo bodies 11a-11d;

for each of the second, third and fourth bodies of silo 11a-11d:

providing within the silo body 11a-11d a hopper 12a-12d or components to make the hopper 12a-12d;

transporting, to the place of installation of the at least one silo 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11d with the hopper 12a-12d or components to manufacture the hopper 12a-12d arranged inside the silo body 11a-11d ; assembling, at the place of installation of the at least one silo 10a-10d, 25, 30, the hopper 12a-12d with the silo body 11a-11d at a first end thereof; and

providing, at the place of installation of the at least one silo 10a-10d, 25, 30, the silo body 11a-11d on the support structure 13;

providing a combination hopper 20 such that an opening thereof is coupled with a discharge opening of each hopper 12a-12d assembled to the first, second, third and fourth silo bodies 11a-11d.

This embodiment is especially advantageous in the context of the present invention. The core of the invention is to use the container as the main part of the silo at the installation site. Therefore, the lateral dimensions of each silo will be limited by the width and height of the bin. Therefore, it is very likely that many silos will have to be installed at the point of installation.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the invention also relates to a silo assembly 10a-10d, 25, 30 for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising a silo body 11a-11d and a hopper 12a -12d or components to form a hopper, and wherein the hopper 12a-12d or the components to form a hopper are arranged within the silo body 11a-11d, such that the silo body serves both as a container and a main part of a silo.

The silo assembly 10a-10d, 25, 30 further comprises a support structure 13 arranged inside the silo body 11a-11d, said support structure being intended to support the silo body 11a-11d when the silo body 11a- 11d and hopper 12a-12d are mechanically coupled at an installation site.

The silo body 11a-11d is preferably parallelepiped-shaped, and is a cargo container and more preferably a marine container;

The invention also relates to an assembly 20 according to claim 12 of silos 10a-10d, 25, 30 for the storage of granulated or powdered material.

Finally, both for the assembly and for the silo, the dimensions of the silo body are dimensions defined in the ISO 1496 standard.

In the present description, the silo assembly and the silo assembly are different concepts. The first means a kit to transport a silo. The second, the assembly of silos, means a larger structure resulting from the union of two or more silos, which will share a common discharge outlet.

Claims (14)

1. Procedure for transporting and assembling at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30) for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising: providing a silo body (11a-11d), the silo body (11a-11d) being a loading container; provide inside the silo body (11a-11d): a hopper (12a-12d) or components for making the hopper (12a-12d); and a support structure (13) of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30); transport, to an installation place of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) with the support structure (13) and the hopper (12a-12d) or the components for manufacturing the hopper (12a-12d) arranged inside the silo body (11a-11d); assembling, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the hopper (12a-12d) and the silo body (11a-11d) at a first end thereof; and providing, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) on the support structure (13). 2. Process according to claim 1, wherein one shape of the silo body (11a-11d) is a parallelepiped. Method according to claim 1, further comprising removing, from the silo body (11a-11d), at least one door from a first end or a second end of the silo body; wherein a step of removing at least one door of the silo body (11a-11d) takes place after a step of transporting, to an installation place of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the body silo (11a-11d). Process according to claim 3, further comprising providing at least one plate on an inner face of each wall of the silo body (11a-11d), each of at least one plate preferably comprising a food paint in a face of it. 5. Process according to any of claims 1-3, further comprising painting an inner face of each wall of the silo body (11a-11d) with food paint. Process according to any of the preceding claims, in which a step of assembling the hopper (12a-12d) and the silo body (11a-11d) at a first end thereof takes place after a step of providing , at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) on the support structure (13). Process according to any of the preceding claims, in which a step of providing, at the installation site of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) in The support structure (13) comprises lifting the silo body (11a-11d) with a crane and positioning the silo body (11a-11d) vertically on the support structure (13) with the crane. 8. Process according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the silo body (11a-11d) is a first silo body (11a-11d), and the method further comprises: providing second, third and fourth silo bodies (11a-11d); for each of the second, third and fourth silo bodies (11a-11d): providing within the silo body (11a-11d) a hopper (12a-12d) or components to make the hopper (12a-12d); transport, to the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) with the hopper (12a-12d) or the components to manufacture the hopper (12a-12d) arranged inside the silo body (11a-11d); assembling, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the hopper (12a-12d) with the silo body (11a-11d) at a first end thereof; and providing, at the place of installation of the at least one silo (10a-10d, 25, 30), the silo body (11a-11d) on the support structure (13); providing a combination hopper (22) such that an opening thereof is coupled with a discharge opening of each hopper (12a-12d) assembled to the first, second, third and fourth silo bodies (11a-11d). Method according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the cargo container is a maritime container. 10. Process according to any of the preceding claims, in which the dimensions of the silo body are dimensions defined in the ISO 1496 standard. 11. Silo assembly (10a-10d, 25, 30) for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising a silo body (11a-11d) and a hopper (12a-12d) or components to form a hopper, wherein the silo body (11a-11d) is a loading container and the hopper (12a-12d) or the components to form a hopper are arranged inside the silo body (11a-11d), such that the Silo body serves both as a container and a main part of a silo, the assembly comprising a support structure (13) arranged inside the silo body (11a-11d), said support structure being intended to support the silo body ( 11a-11d) when the silo body (11a-11d) and the hopper (12a-12d) are mechanically coupled at an installation site. 12. Assembly (20) of silos (10a-10d, 25, 30) for the storage of granulated or powdered material, comprising: four silo assemblies (10a-10d, 25, 30) according to claim 11 in its assembled configuration; and a combination hopper (22); wherein each of the four silos (10a-10d, 25, 30) is in contact with another two of the four silos (10a-10d, 25, 30); and wherein the combination hopper (22) is provided such that an opening thereof is coupled with a discharge opening of each hopper (12a-12d) of the four silos (10a-10d, 25, 30). 13. Silo assembly according to claim 11, wherein the cargo container is a marine container. Silo assembly according to either of claims 11 or 13, wherein the dimensions of the silo body (11a-11d) are dimensions defined in ISO 1496.