Transitioning from one stored product to the next within a single storage structure might not be as complicated as you’d expect. Dome Technology clients often plan their dome projects with this in mind; it’s a smart way to maximize on existing infrastructure and to ensure multiple options are available no matter what the market does.
Here are a few factors to consider for a smooth transition:
• To maximize storage, plan a facility designed for the heaviest product. This ensures engineers will design the dome and its systems for the hardest work they might face.
• The easiest changes occur between similar products. A company switching from, say, coal to petcoke isn’t going to require the same degree of calculations, reconfiguring, or cleaning as switching from canola to sugar.
• To determine if an existing dome can store a different product, look first at the foundation. If, for example, you have a dome that can store 100,000 metric tons of product, you could potentially store 100,000 metric tons of a different product with similar ground loading characteristics with no foundation modifications required.
• Next, consider angle of repose. When the stored products have dramatically different angles of repose, it is important to analyze how changing the products will affect the foundation system. For instance, for a dome storing cement clinker with a steep angle of repose—about 45 degrees—switching to cement powder with 10 to 12 degrees will change the loading profile on the foundation system. That’s because the clinker will have a higher load in the middle of the dome floor and lower load on the perimeter while the cement will have pretty much the same loading straight across. “Changes in stored product in the dome can often be easily accommodated through collaboration with our dynamic team,” said Dome Technology CEO Bradley Bateman.
• Cleaning the inside of the dome shouldn’t be a deterrent. Either a good spray down with water or a scrub with detergent might be all that’s required. In most cases, any residue left behind would be negligible, but considerations will vary from industry to industry.
• If you are planning to switch products in the future, not everything needs to be considered upfront; some features can be added later. For instance, if the new product requires a different conveyance system, that’s a relatively straightforward change—though it obviously comes with a cost.
• Something to consider is possible chemical incompatibilities between respective products. For example, some fertilizer will corrode standard rebar; if the previous stored product didn’t have this concern, steps would need to be taken to mitigate corrosion as needed.
