Woodchip store design???

[Wids]

Thinking about the best way of designing our store, we are using a banked area so the store can be tipped directly into the store from higher ground.

Is it possible to use a vertical round plastic water tank? Dig it into the bank and cover it with the soil dug out? Has anyone tried this or seen it done? Looking at a 30000 litre plastic tank or more if it will fit.....! It will be next to the boiler house so can auger it to the boiler no problem. Seems a lot easier than blocking or bricking a building into the banking side.

Any advice most welcome

 

[Bernt]

you say vertical - what sort of diameter, height are you talking. Remember, if the auger jams with a larger bit of chip or some foreign object, who's got to dig it out, also if using chip and an agitator in the bottom, you can only put so much weight on it before it becomes too much for the motors!!

 

[Wids]

Probably looking at 3-4 meters wide by 3-4 meters tall. Surely weight on top if agitator won't be a problem with this type of store?

 

[Bernt]

i have known systems that wont turn with anything more than 2m of chip above the agitator, especially if the store has been empty and refilled with the spring arms out and boiler not running

 

[Wids]

The agitator we are looking at says a maximum load height of 18meters! Surely if we are around the 4 meter mark we won't have any problems......

 

[MickMoor]

Normally, a plastic tank is designed to contain the pressure from things inside it. If you back fill round it, you are extemely likely to squash the sides in. One solution is to fill the tank with water and then back fill with drylean concrete. Of course you need to be able to empty the water out when the concrete has started to set, the auger port should allow that. If you are tipping straight into the tank, you must put some baffles to prevent the load falling hard on to the auger, or it will jam or even buckle before you get any chips out!

 

[Wids]

Is it best to use a circular galvanised storage tank then instead of a plastic one for a woodchip store?

 

[MickMoor]

Don't think it would make much difference. I've seen tanks collapse inwards, there is a pic of one that actually did so on my website. Here's a different view of it.

 

[Wids]

Don't think it would make much difference. I've seen tanks collapse inwards, there is a pic of one that actually did so on my website. Here's a different view of it.

Hmm how have others made woodchip stores into a bank side? Allowing it to be filled from above by a lorry tipping? Maybe a case of not putting soil back right around it and leaving a gap.

 

[MickMoor]

If it was me, I'd go for something in precast concrete. The manufacturers are usually very helpful.