What is uneven blenind in silos & hoppers?
Blending in silos and hoppers is the process of combining different materials to produce a desired product and quality. However, if materials are blended unevenly, even the smallest inconsistency could lead to a significant decrease in its quality, potentially affecting the size, colour and even taste of the finished product. This could result in complaints from your customers, products being rejected and ultimately costing you precious time and money.
Uneven blending in silos and hoppers is largely caused by the aeration of powders and materials. Silo and hopper aeration can be an issue when the circulation and dissolving of air into the materials which they store, results in the segregation of particles with different weights, densities and shapes. Whilst light particles in aerated materials will move towards the top of a container, larger and heavier particles will locate and settle at the bottom.
Hopper and silo aeration can additionally cause issues of ratholing and material bridging, which will only worsen the effects of uneven blending. This is because even a small amount of stagnant material or inconsistencies in the blend can contaminate the final product.