Croston Engineering, Tarvin, Chester, UK, has developed an innovative and economical answer to the problem of maintaining and monitoring clean, dry air conditions in silos used for storing flour by employing an SPTDS diverter valve from DMN-WESTINGHOUSE in conjunction with the existing silo intake pipe.

When storing flour and similar products in silos it is critical to maintain the condition of the air in the silo in order to prevent humidity which can lead to product damage and contamination. Croston Engineering’s customer was using independent dehumidifiers that were mounted on the top of each silo to provide a constant supply of clean dry air. The installation of the dehumidifiers meant that important monitoring of the dehumidifiers’ performance and maintenance was difficult and time consuming.

The Croston Engineering design uses the fill pipe on each silo. A number of silos were involved which meant that work could start as soon as one silo was emptied. After the   dehumidifier had been relocated to ground level, the fill pipe was parted to allow a connection to the dehumidifier. The SPTDS single pipe plug diverter was installed in such a way that a constant supply of conditioned air could enter the silo through the existing tanker fill pipe. When the time comes to refill the silo with flour, the SPTDS diverts to the tanker and allows efficient filling of the silo. After filling is completed, the diverter valve reverts to conditioned air from the dehumidifier.

The Croston Engineering system design together with the application of the DMN-WESTINGHOUSE diverter valve has provided an efficient solution to the problem of monitoring and maintenance. This now takes a fraction of the time that it once did, and it is also a lot safer. www.dmnwestinghouse.com; www.croston-engineering.co.uk
 

The Croston Engineering system employs the silo fill pipe to handle product and conditioned air 

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