If you are in the business of moving solid materials in bulk, you might be in need of flow aids. These are often used when moving any type of bulk materials, such as with food processing. There are a variety of different flow aids, from mechanical to chemical ones. While there is a long list, these are some of the top ones to consider.

Bin Loaders

One of the most popular flow aids you will come across is a bin loader, which sometimes is called by other names, like bin discharger. This is a type of mechanical flow aid that is placed over the machine you are using for moving or processing your solid materials. It is particularly beneficial when you are trying to move bulk powders, since they get clumped, clogged, and jammed quite easily. Most bin loaders will have an enclosed drive guard, level indicator along with the threaded nipple, and multiple outlet sizes, which depend on the size of machine you are using. This machine uses a vibration method to flow the material through a silo or hopper. Keep in mind, the silo cone needs to be shorter than it usually would in order to use a bin loader.

Cone-in Cone

This flow aid is a type of non-mechanical flow aid. While non-mechanical aids are not used nearly as often as vibrating mechanical ones like a bin loader, they are still worth noting since they provide a variety of unique benefits. The cone-in-cone, as its name suggests, works by placing a conical-shaped hopping device inside another one of the same size, but larger. What this does is promote better flow of the solid materials by promoting better blending. It helps with preventing the separation of different materials, and creating a funnel of the mixed solid materials.

Pneumatic Flow Aids

A pneumatic flow aid is not a single type of flow aid, but a greater category of them. These types of flow aids typically include different types of air dischargers and devices, such as air cannons, air nozzles, and air pads. They utilize gas or high-pressure air that is placed into the silo in order to force the solid materials through a type of shock aid motion. The strength and thickness of material you are using will determine the size and quantity of air cannons that are needed. Other pneumatic flow aids instead use low-pressure air for the silo, such as the air-assisted dischargers and air nozzles. These are good if you have difficulty with fine powders arching while in the silo.