Solutions · Refractory & Abrasive Raw Materials
Graphite creates black dust, silicon carbide is one of the hardest bulk materials you can store. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos for graphite, silicon carbide, and coke with you – for refractories, abrasives, foundries, and other industrial processes.
Graphite & SiC Storage at a Glance
A graphite or silicon carbide silo stores carbon and abrasive raw materials close to production – for refractories, abrasives, foundries, ceramics, metallurgy, or other industrial processes. It keeps the product contained and feeds it in a controlled way to weighing, mixing, or the process.
Silicon carbide is very hard and wears outlets and conveying lines. Graphite and coke create black dust that escapes through every leak. Silo geometry, wear protection, discharge, and dust collection are therefore designed together with you for your product and your site.
Why Graphite & SiC Are Demanding
Abrasion, black dust, and different grain sizes decide whether a graphite or SiC silo runs reliably.
Silicon carbide is extremely hard. It wears the outlet, discharge equipment, and conveying lines faster than most other bulk materials.
Graphite and coke dust escapes through every leak and leaves black traces on equipment, buildings, and products.
From coarse grit to fine powder, grain size changes how the product fills, flows, and segregates.
Fine graphite and coke powders can compact and build bridges above the outlet.
Different graphite, SiC, and coke grades must not be mixed by accident.
Venting, filtration, and explosion protection depend on the product and its particle size.
Silo Materials
We build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel. Carbon steel is not an option for us: its coating is the only protection against corrosion – and flaking coating or rust can end up in your product.
Which of our two materials fits your graphite or silicon carbide silo depends on the product, its abrasiveness, your process, and your site. We select the material and the design with you.
Your Graphite And Sic Silo System
Silo, discharge, blending, filtration, and monitoring 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 pneumatic filling and conveying – sized for fine powders.
Learn moreMonitoring
Level measurement for reliable monitoring of the silo content – so you know when to reorder.
Learn moreCarbon & Abrasive Raw Materials
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
Graphite, natural graphite, synthetic graphite
Graphite is on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab. A closed system and dust collection keep black dust contained.
Tested in our lab
Silicon carbide, SiC, carborundum
Silicon carbide is on our tested list. Its hardness is considered at the outlet and in conveying.
Tested in our lab
Coke, coke breeze, coke fines
Coke is on our tested list. Silo and discharge are designed for its grain size and dust.
Tested in our lab
Carbon black, furnace black
Carbon black is on our tested list. Venting and filtration are matched to this very light, black powder.
Review with us
Expandable graphite, intumescent graphite
Expandable graphite has specific handling requirements. We review your product data with you before designing the silo.
Review with us
Brown and white fused alumina, boron carbide
Fused abrasives are hard and heavy. We review grain size and wear requirements with you.
Also tested in our lab:
Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Product Check
Type in your product 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 graphite or silicon carbide 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 graphite, silicon carbide, and coke in silos.
Dry carbon and abrasive raw materials can be stored in a properly designed silo. These products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Expandable graphite, fused alumina, boron carbide, and other products we review with you based on your material data.
Silicon carbide is extremely hard. Wear at the outlet, in discharge equipment, and in conveying is considered in the design – we review the right solution with you for your grain size and your throughput.
A closed system for filling and discharge, integrated filters, and PW FilterLine dust collectors keep black dust inside the system. Filter size and venting are matched to your filling rate and your product.
Products with a wide grain-size range can segregate during filling and discharge. A mass-flow hopper geometry moves the entire silo content evenly. We design filling and discharge with you for your grain sizes.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your graphite and SiC leaves the silo in the order it came in (first in, first out), and no product is left behind in dead zones. Our PW StoreLine silos are designed for concentric mass-flow discharge without asymmetric flow zones.
We build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel – never in coated carbon steel. Which of our two materials fits depends on the product, its abrasiveness, your process, and your site. We select it with you.
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 – particle size, bulk density, 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.
