Sugar Silo help bridging

zakstr

Hi I'm an apprentice at a food company in my second year.

I have to do a project at college and I've found a problems that we've had for a long time.

The sugar silos bridge.

My understanding of when sugar bridges is that because of the weight of the sugar is constantly pushing downwards (20-30tons) the air from the rotary valve is getting into the bottom of the silo and causing the sugar to sit on top of it.

I may be wrong but this is what happens.

After spending all day today "rodding" it, I thought that this would be a good idea for my project and it would benefit my company aswell.

What I think I need to do is get the air out of where it bridges but at the same time not let the sugar out. I'm struggling to find much about it solution wise which is not really expensive.

If any body has any experience with anything similar then I would love to hear it and if it is realistically possible so I don't waste a lot of my project time :)

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE9AWBpRqM8 video of what happens.

256bits

I am still not sure what you mean by bridging. What does the rotary valve actually do? The video was not all that descriptive.

If by bridging, though, you do mean that as the bottom of the silo is opened up to allow sugar to exit, only a certain amount will do so leaving an air filled void above of which is still sugar. If that is your problem, then it is not the air holding up the sugar, but a material aspect of the sugar granules to stick together to from an arch above the exit at the bottom.

Please verify.