Solutions · Whey Product Storage
Whey powders, permeate, and lactose are fine, hygroscopic dairy ingredients that tend to cake. PW Silo Systems designs aluminum and stainless steel silos with mass-flow discharge, discharge aids, and a hygienic design for dairy and food plants.
Whey Storage at a Glance
A whey silo stores dried whey products – such as sweet whey powder, whey permeate, whey protein, or lactose – close to production for dairy, bakery, confectionery, beverages, or nutrition products. It protects the powder from moisture and contamination and feeds it in a controlled way to dosing and mixing.
Whey powders and permeate attract moisture, and lactose-rich powders tend to cake. PW Silo Systems designs the silo, discharge aids, and cleaning concept around your whey product.
Why Whey Is Demanding
Whey products are valuable dairy ingredients. Their flow behavior and hygiene requirements decide how the silo is built.
Whey powder, permeate, and lactose absorb moisture from the air and cake in the silo.
Dairy plants work to very high hygiene standards.
In coated carbon steel silos, flaking paint and steel particles can end up in the whey.
Fine whey 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 whey products 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 whey silo depends on your product, your process, your cleaning requirements, and your site – we review it with you.
Your Whey 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 moreWhey Products
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
Whey, whey powder, dried whey
Whey is on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab. Discharge aids are planned for its tendency to cake.
Tested in our lab
Sweet whey, sweet whey powder
Sweet whey is on our tested list. It is a common ingredient for bakery, confectionery, and feed.
Tested in our lab
Whey permeate, dairy permeate
Whey permeate is on our tested list. It is rich in lactose and hygroscopic – a closed silo protects it from moisture.
Tested in our lab
Whey protein, whey protein powder
Whey protein is on our tested list. Dedicated storage keeps this high-value ingredient separate.
Tested in our lab
Lactose, lactose powder, milk sugar
Lactose is on our tested list. Its particle size and tendency to cake are considered in the discharge design.
Review with us
Acid whey powder
Acid whey powder is more hygroscopic than sweet whey. 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:
Whey Check
Type in your whey 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 whey 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 whey products in silos.
Dry whey products can be stored in a properly designed silo. These products are on our list of bulk materials tested in our lab:
Acid whey powder, WPC, WPI, demineralized whey, and delactosed permeate we review with you based on your material data.
Both. Aluminum and stainless steel silos are widely used for whey 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 whey. That is why we build silos exclusively in aluminum and stainless steel.
A closed silo protects the powder from outside moisture. Discharge aids such as PW SpeedBlow air fluidization and bin activators prevent bridging and keep the outlet clear. The right combination depends on your whey product.
In mass flow, the entire silo content moves downward when material is discharged – not just a channel in the center. Your whey 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 whey 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 whey 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 – 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 whey 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.
