Solutions · Dietary Fiber Storage
Dietary fibers are light, fluffy, and fibrous – they bridge, rat-hole, and do not flow like flour or sugar. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos with discharge aids for wheat fiber, oat fiber, cellulose fiber, and other fiber ingredients.
Fiber Storage at a Glance
A fiber silo stores dietary fiber ingredients close to production – for bakery, cereals, meat products, beverages, or nutrition products. It protects the powder from moisture and contamination and feeds it in a controlled way to dosing and mixing.
Fibers have a very low bulk density and interlock – they form bridges and rat holes above the outlet. PW Silo Systems designs silo geometry and discharge aids around your fiber ingredient.
Why Fiber Is Demanding
Fiber ingredients behave very differently from most food powders. Every challenge below affects dosing accuracy and uptime.
Light, fibrous powders interlock and form stable bridges or narrow flow channels.
Fibers take up a lot of volume for little weight – silos must be sized for volume, not just mass.
Fibers bind water – they absorb moisture from the air and cake.
Fine fiber dust is combustible. Filling and conveying release dust into the silo and its surroundings.
In coated carbon steel silos, flaking paint and steel particles can end up in the fiber.
Food plants often handle several fibers side by side – including allergen-relevant or specialty products.
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 fiber silo depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site – we review it with you.
Your Fiber 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 moreFiber Ingredients
Products 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
Wheat fiber, wheat bran fiber
Wheat fiber is on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab. Discharge aids are planned for its fibrous structure.
Tested in our lab
Oat fiber, oat hull fiber
Oat fiber is on our tested list. Its very low bulk density is considered in silo sizing.
Tested in our lab
Cellulose fiber, powdered cellulose
Cellulose fiber is on our tested list. Long fibers tend to bridge – discharge aids are planned accordingly.
Tested in our lab
Beta-glucan powder, oat beta-glucan
Beta-glucan powder is on our tested list. A closed silo protects this hygroscopic ingredient.
Tested in our lab
Psyllium, psyllium husk
Psyllium is on our tested list. Light husk tends to bridge – discharge aids keep it moving.
Review with us
Inulin, chicory root fiber
Inulin is fine and hygroscopic. We review your product data with you before designing the silo.
Also tested in our lab:
Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Fiber Check
Type in your fiber ingredient or any other bulk material to see whether it has 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 fiber 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 dietary fiber in silos.
Dry fiber ingredients can be stored in a properly designed silo. These products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Inulin, citrus, apple, bamboo, sugar beet, and pea fiber we review with you based on your material data.
Fiber particles are light and interlock, so they form stable bridges or narrow flow channels above the outlet. We design silo geometry with you and add discharge aids such as PW SpeedBlow air fluidization and bin activators.
Both. Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for fiber 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 fiber. That is why we build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel.
Fine fiber dust is combustible, and many bulk solids carry an explosion risk. For combustible bulk solids we supply explosion-protected silos designed in accordance with applicable codes and regulations. Venting devices – rupture discs or explosion vents – are selected for your silo, your product, and your application. Integrated filters and dust collectors reduce dust during filling and conveying.
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 fiber 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.
