Solutions · Bean Storage
Dried beans are large, heavy, and valuable – and many plants handle several varieties side by side. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos for dried beans and pulses with mass-flow discharge and clear product separation.
Bean Storage at a Glance
A bean silo stores dried beans and pulses close to production – for canning, ready meals, flour milling, or plant-based protein. It protects the beans from moisture, pests, and contamination and feeds them in a controlled way to soaking, cooking, or milling.
Large, heavy beans flow well, but they create dust and husk particles, and different varieties must not be mixed. PW Silo Systems designs the silo around your beans and your process.
Why Beans Are Demanding
Dried beans look robust, but quality, varietal purity, and safety depend on how they are stored.
Dried beans are a natural product. Moisture and long storage times affect their quality.
In funnel flow, beans can stay in the silo for a long time while fresh product passes through the center.
In coated carbon steel silos, flaking paint and steel particles can end up in the bean.
Filling and conveying release dust and husk particles into the silo and its surroundings.
Deliveries differ, and a silo filled in batches forms horizontal layers of different quality.
Kidney, white, mung, and black-eyed beans must not be mixed by accident.
Silo Materials
Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for flour, sugar, starch, and other food ingredients. Both materials offer high corrosion resistance, good hygiene, and a long service life.
Carbon steel is not an option for us: its coating is the only protection against corrosion. Once it wears, paint particles and steel can get into the product. Which of our two materials fits your bean silo depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site – we review it with you.
Your Bean Silo System
Silo, discharge, blending, filtration, and safety equipment are engineered as one system. That means fewer interfaces for your team and components that are designed to work together.
Storage
Concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones – as standard, site-assembled, indoor, or multi-compartment silos.
Learn moreBlending
Gravity blending and homogenizing with four technologies, including PW ConeBlend with a hopper that is quick to clean.
Learn moreDischarge
Air fluidization for uniform discharge of poorly flowing products – prevents bridging and can be retrofitted to existing silos.
Learn moreDischarge
Vibration from unbalanced motors breaks up cohesive forces, resolves caking, and keeps the outlet clear.
Learn moreFiltration
Dust separation during filling and conveying, in a hygienic design for the food industry.
Learn moreSafety & Monitoring
Rupture discs or explosion vents for combustible dust, level measurement for reliable monitoring of the silo content.
Learn moreBean Types
Bean types marked “Tested in our lab” are on our list of bulk materials. The others we review with you based on your material data before designing the silo.
Tested in our lab
Soybeans, soya beans
Soybeans are on our list of materials tested in our lab. A dedicated silo keeps soy – an allergen – separate from other products.
Tested in our lab
Dried peas, split peas
Dried and split peas are on our tested list. Storage is designed for their round shape.
Tested in our lab
Kidney beans, red kidney beans
Kidney beans are large, heavy beans for canning and ready meals. Kidney beans are on our tested list – silo and discharge are designed for their size.
Tested in our lab
White beans, navy beans, cannellini
White beans are used for baked beans, soups, and canned products. White beans are on our tested list, and separate storage keeps varieties apart.
Tested in our lab
Mung beans
Mung beans are small, round beans for sprouts, flour, and plant-based protein. Mung beans are on our tested list – outlets are matched to their size.
Review with us
Black-eyed peas, cowpeas
Black-eyed peas are a staple for canning and ready meals. First-in, first-out discharge supports stock rotation.
Review with us
Pinto beans
Pinto beans are among the most common dried beans in the U.S. Storage is designed for large, heavy kernels.
Also tested in our lab:
Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Bean Check
Type in your beans or any other bulk material to see whether they have already been tested in our lab. The list covers 287 bulk materials.
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Service in the U.S.
With more than 40 years of experience in silo engineering, we support your bean silo project from the first design discussion to commissioning. We deliver to every U.S. state and install with our own qualified personnel.
FAQ
Answers to the questions plant managers, engineers, and buyers ask most often about storing dried beans in silos.
Dried beans and pulses can be stored in a properly designed silo. These beans and pulses are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Black-eyed peas, pinto, black, fava, lima, and adzuki beans, and chickpeas we review with you based on your material data.
Both. Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for bean and other food ingredients because they offer high corrosion resistance, good hygiene, and a long service life. Which material fits your project depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site. We review the options with you.
In a carbon steel silo, the coating is the only protection against corrosion. If it wears or flakes off, paint particles and steel can end up in your bean. That is why we build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel.
We recommend a dedicated silo per variety – or PW StoreLine multi-compartment silos that keep several products separate in one silo.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your bean leaves the silo in the order it came in (first in, first out), and no product is left behind in dead zones where it could age or cake. Our PW StoreLine silos are designed for concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones.
Hygiene starts with the materials: aluminum and stainless steel offer good hygiene and corrosion resistance. In addition, our flat-roof designs support high cleanliness standards, PW SpeedBlow uses high air flow for cleaning, and the PW ConeBlend blending silo has a hopper that is quick and easy to clean – well suited to frequent product changes.
The right size depends on your daily consumption, delivery intervals, the number of products, and the space available at your site. PW StoreLine silos are available in a wide range of sizes and diameters, and silos too large for road transport are assembled on site. We size the system with you – without oversized investment.
Yes. We deliver to every U.S. state and support your project with silo transport, field assembly, silo installation and supervision, and site relocation of existing systems.
Very likely. Our silo systems are designed for nearly all free-flowing, granular, and powdered bulk solids. Send us your material details – kernel size, moisture, and how the product is filled and discharged – and we will review the right storage solution with you.
Tell us about your products, required storage capacity, how the silo is filled and discharged, and your site conditions. Based on this, we work out the material, silo type, and configuration with you and send you a detailed quote.
Your Project
Whether you need a single bean silo, several silos for different products, or a complete system with blending and discharge, tell us about your requirements. We'll develop a solution that fits your product, your process, and your site.
Send a Request NowWhat Happens Next
Tell us about your bulk material, your process, and your site conditions.
We work with you on material, silo type, and configuration – based on a bulk material analysis if needed.
You receive a custom-engineered solution with a detailed quote.
