Solutions · Meal Storage
Meals and cracked grains combine coarse particles, fines, and sometimes residual oil – a mix that bridges, cakes, and segregates. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos with mass-flow discharge and discharge aids for reliable flow.
Meal Storage at a Glance
A meal silo stores coarse-ground or cracked products – such as soybean meal, canola meal, ground flaxseed, or cracked grain – for food, bakery, or feed production. It protects the product from moisture and contamination and feeds it in a controlled way to the next process step.
Meals with residual oil tend to cake, and mixed particle sizes can segregate. PW Silo Systems designs silo geometry and discharge equipment around your meal.
Why Meal Is Demanding
Meals and cracked grains are among the more difficult bulk solids to discharge. Every challenge below affects uptime and product quality.
Oil-containing meals such as soybean or flaxseed meal compact and cake, especially under pressure.
Coarse particles and fines can separate in funnel flow and leave the silo unevenly.
In coated carbon steel silos, flaking paint and steel particles can end up in the meal.
Fine meal dust is combustible. Filling and conveying release dust into the silo and its surroundings.
Deliveries differ, and a silo filled in batches forms horizontal layers of different quality.
Food plants often handle several meals 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 meal silo depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site – we review it with you.
Your Meal 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 moreMeal Types
Raw material, grind, and oil content change how meal flows. All products below are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab.
Tested in our lab
Canola meal, rapeseed meal
Canola meal is a protein-rich by-product of oil pressing for food and feed. Discharge aids are planned for its tendency to compact.
Tested in our lab
Ground flaxseed, flaxseed meal, linseed meal
Ground flaxseed contains natural oils and can cake. A closed silo and first-in, first-out discharge protect its quality.
Tested in our lab
Soybean meal, soy meal, SBM
Soybean meal is one of the most important protein ingredients. It is known for poor flow – mass flow and discharge aids keep it moving.
Tested in our lab
Cracked rye, rye meal, coarse rye
Cracked rye is used in whole grain and rye breads. Storage is designed for its mix of coarse and fine particles.
Tested in our lab
Cracked wheat, coarse wheat meal, bulgur
Cracked wheat and bulgur are used in bread, salads, and side dishes. Mass-flow discharge supports a uniform product.
Tested in our lab
Cracked spelt, coarse spelt meal
Cracked spelt is a specialty product for whole grain baking. Silo and discharge are matched to your grind.
Tested in our lab
Cracked barley, barley meal
Cracked barley is used in food and feed. A closed silo protects it from moisture and contamination.
Tested in our lab
Broken rice, rice meal, cracked rice
Broken and cracked rice is used for rice flour, brewing, and food production. Storage is designed for its particle size.
Also tested in our lab:
These products are not on our tested list yet. Send us your material data and we will review the right solution with you:
Meal Check
Type in your meal 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 meal 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 meal and cracked grain in silos.
These products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Sunflower meal, corn gluten meal, cottonseed meal, and hemp seed meal are not on our tested list yet. We review them with you based on your material data.
Both. Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for meal 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 meal. That is why we build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel.
Soybean meal and other oil-containing meals compact under their own weight and tend to cake and bridge. Our PW StoreLine silos use concentric mass-flow discharge, and bin activators or PW SpeedBlow fluidization keep the product moving at the outlet.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your meal 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.
Fine meal 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.
Deliveries vary, and a silo filled in batches forms horizontal layers of different quality. PW BlendLine gravity blending silos homogenize the content so your production receives a consistent product. We offer four blending technologies; the right one depends on your meal and on whether you operate continuously or in batches.
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, and we will review the right storage and discharge 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 meal 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.
