SHIELD Lite: next step in silo pressure safety
Silo pressure control experts Hycontrol say upgraded silo-protection system could not be any simpler
TWO years after introducing their ground-breaking SHIELD silo-protection system, silo pressure safety experts Hycontrol Ltd have announced the launch of the SHIELD Lite, which protects powder storage silos from the dangers caused by excessive pressure during tanker deliveries.
Utilizing purpose-designed, state-of-the-art pressure-monitoring and control equipment, SHIELD Lite meets and exceeds best engineering practice and current guidance from the Mineral Products Association.
The system’s new, compact panel is designed for simple operation and to be easily understood, giving users a range of new monitoring and diagnostic tools and indicating when the system is suffering from blocked filtration or is being endangered by poor delivery driver behaviour.
Powder storage silos are commonplace in many industries but are at risk of over-pressurization during tanker deliveries. The root causes of this are invariably either driver error, resulting in uncontrolled air pressure being discharged during the fill procedure, or a failure of the filter venting unit.
Pressures from as little as 1 or 2 psi are enough to rupture a silo or blow its filter unit off the top. This poses serious risks, which is why a comprehensive, failsafe safety and control system is vital.
SHIELD Lite incorporates essential high-accuracy pressure safety components into a modular design that can be adjusted to suit site requirements. Maintenance is simplified and the long-term cost of ownership is said be significantly lower than any other system on the market.
Along with many new features, SHIELD incorporates Hycontrol’s pioneering Ground Level Testing, whereby a single key-turn enacts a full-function test of all the crucial safety components, significantly reducing the need for working at height. Importantly, the system is also completely failsafe, a vital feature that is often overlooked.
‘Building on the success of the first SHIELD system has allowed us to develop new tools for site personnel to improve safety,’ said Hycontrol’s managing director, Nigel Allen.
‘We have insisted for many years that simplicity is the key to safety, and now with developments such as ratio alarms, filter blockage warnings and tanker driver delivery behaviour diagnostics, we can effectively remove the risk of human error completely.
‘Hycontrol have led the silo-protection field for more than a decade through both innovation and product performance. The purpose of developing SHIELD Lite is to make sure that every single pressurized powder delivery into every single silo is completely safe.
‘We anticipate that customers in the ready-mix and concrete sectors will be impressed by both what this new system can do and the price we are able to offer it at.’
Mr Allen added: ‘We are determined that safety for staff, contractors and drivers should be the number one priority across all industries. With SHIELD Lite, Hycontrol are showing that true failsafe silo safety is not only achievable, but with the right equipment it’s easy, too.
‘We understand that human errors in maintenance and testing are inevitable. Our philosophy is to accept this, and to provide a system that monitors and safely alerts you when these errors occur. As we say – safe silos are tested every time.’
