Vibrating bottom

The Bin activator, also known as the "Activated hopper" or "Vibrating bottom", is a processing equipment used for loosing and discharging powder, granular or small block materials in silos. Its core function is to break the "bridging" and "rat hole" phenomena of materials through vibration, ensuring that the materials flow out of the silos and hoppers evenly and stably and avoiding blockages. It is widely used in industries such as chemical engineering, building materials, food, mining, and pharmaceuticals.

The fluidity of some powdery bulk materials is very poor, and the unloading operation cannot be realized through various auxiliary flow methods, such as silo wall vibrator, air hammer, hammer and even air cannon. The horizontal vibration of VRV Bin activators generate shear forces, which allows the continuous flow of bulk material. It is mounted below the hopper for arch breaking and uniform feeding.

Working Principle 

When the vibration motor is started, vibration waves will be generated and transmitted to the material through the activation cone. This vibration can break the friction and cohesion between materials, making them in an activated state and allowing them to flow out more smoothly from the bottom of the silo.

1. Energy input: The equipment is equipped with a vibrating motor. When the motor operates, it generates high-frequency and low-amplitude vibration energy (the vibration frequency is usually 50 - 300Hz, and the amplitude is 0.1 - 5mm, which can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the material).

2. Energy transfer and material activation: The vibration energy is transferred to the hopper body through the elastic elements of the hopper (such as springs and rubber shock absorbers), creating a relative movement between the inner wall of the hopper and the material, and breaking the cohesive force and frictional force between the material particles.

3. Breaking blockages and uniform discharging: The "activated" material loses its stability. The original "bridging" (the material forms an arch support above the hopper outlet) and "rat holes" (the material only flows out from local channels while the rest remains stagnant) formed by gravity compaction are broken. Finally, the material evenly flows towards the outlet along the inner wall of the hopper, achieving continuous discharging.

Advantages

✔  Robust and enduring, compact design

✔  Seamless cone design, double flange, seamless gasket to ensure long-term operation

✔  Various material forms according to clients specification

✔  Optional wear plates (stainless steel, plastics, ceramics and other special material)

✔  Durable suspension and seal assemblies

Industries

• Chemical industry: Unloading materials from silos of plastic pellets, resin powder, and fertilizer pellets to avoid material caking in humid environments.

• Building materials industry: Supplying materials to mixing stations of cement powder, lime powder, and sand and gravel materials to prevent "bridging" at the silo outlet, which may lead to uneven mixing.

• Food industry: Supplying materials to production lines of flour, starch, grains, and candy pellets. The stainless-steel material meets food hygiene standards (FDA certification).

• Mining/metallurgical industry: Supplying materials to conveyor lines of ores, ore powder, and coke. Wear-resistant linings can adapt to highly abrasive materials.

• Pharmaceutical industry: Metering and supplying medicine powder and capsule pellets. The electromagnetic vibrating type can meet the requirements of GMP certification for accuracy and cleanliness.

Key Data

How to select a right Bin activator? Please pay attention to the following aspects of information： 

1, Material Characteristics: Particle size (fine powder / granules / lumps), bulk density (heavy / light), moisture content (dry / wet), viscosity (low viscosity / high viscosity) - These determine the vibration frequency, amplitude, and the material of the activated hopper. 

2, Discharge Capacity: Select the hopper diameter (common diameters: 200 - 1500 mm) and vibration power according to the hourly demand of the production line (m³/h or t/h). 

3, Installation Environment: Explosion-proof (Explosion-proof motors are required for the chemical / mining industries), dust-proof (Sealing structures are required for the food / pharmaceutical industries), and space dimensions (Vertical / horizontal types are adapted to different installation locations).

4, Surface treatment: Polishing or sandblasting for stainless steel and Paint coated for carbon steel.

5, Others: Spares, accessories（Silo flange, vibrating motors）

Q1. How to choose the right equipment ？

A: VRV suggest you provide us the information of bulk material need to be handled, including the material parameters so that our technical staff will provide the most appropriate advice

Q2. Can I buy just one equipment?

A: Yes, there is no quantity limitation. We offer not only individual equipment, but also customize production lines for enterprises.

Q3. What’s your delivery time?

A: It depends on equipment. Normally it will take 1 to 3 months.

Q4. What’s your price terms and payment terms?

A: We accept EUR and USD.

Q5. How to guarantee the quality?

A: VRV marks every equipment with unique serial number, by which design parameters can be easily traced and after-service can be ensured in years. VRV takes responsible for every equipment perpetually.

Any issues occurred during the life cycle of VRV vibratory equipment will be analyzed by our engineers thus to find out the optimal solution. Our company is also willing to assist customer’s field experts and maintenance engineers and provide our test data and advices to help them solve problems.

Application Examples