If there's a constant blockage of materials in your silo or bin, you may find it necessary to buy an air cannon. This device is attached to the side of your silo or bin to prevent the blockage by blasting out the blocked materials with highly pressurised air. However, before you buy an air cannon, you need to evaluate some factors because different air cannons are designed to handle different types of material blockages. For this reason, here some things you should be keen to consider.

The Type of Material Flowing Through Your Bin or Silo

The type of materials flowing through your bin or silo will help determine their weight. Heavy materials such as stone chips or raw coal will definitely require high pressure to be blasted. In this case, choose an air cannon based on the pressure ratings where the higher the pressure rating, the more suitable that air cannon will be. However, if you only need to aid the flow of cereals, grains and other light materials, air cannon units with lower pressure ratings should suffice.

Since different types of materials and material blockages require different volumes of air to be blasted, consider buying an air cannon that allows you to adjust the pressure from low to high and vice versa. Such types of air cannons are more convenient.

The Size and Number of Pieces That Make Up the Valve Assembly

Air cannons have a piston valve, which upon command, opens up to release the compressed air that then blasts out the blocked material. Typically, a valve is made up of either several small pieces or fewer larger pieces. Others may even have only one piece. Valves that contain too many small pieces may give you a hard time in terms of assembling or disassembling them to clean. The risk of losing the pieces is also high when they are too many.

The Material of the Pressure Vessel

The pressure vessel is the component that exerts the compressed air. Since the air is highly pressurised, the pressure vessel is often under very high pressure when the air cannon is in use. For this reason, the material of the vessel should be strong enough to withstand this high pressure. In most cases, stainless steel is the best option.

The pressure vessel also has a lining that allows for maximum flow of air. Look at the material of this lining too. It should be smooth but able to withstand abuse from the materials. Therefore, go for materials such as vinyl or ceramic.