Container emptying system

drumfor the pharmaceutical industryfor the food industry

Overview
Many plants still empty drums and IBCs by hand. This solution automates the container side of that job using the same platforms and weighing technology used for filling drums, IBCs and jerrycans. The machine handles and positions the container, inserts the emptying lance and weighs what leaves so containers can be emptied completely or an exact quantity can be dosed into a reactor or tank.

Two ways to use it

• Complete emptying: Drums and IBCs are emptied into your tank or process with the weight checked from start to finish, so you know how much product was transferred and when the container is empty.
• Partial emptying for dosing: The machine stops when the target weight has left the container, allowing precise charging of reactors, mixers or tanks by recipe while keeping the remainder in the container for the next batch.

What AiCROV supplies, and what stays in your installation

• AiCROV supplies — Your installation
• The machine that handles and positions the container — The pump
• The emptying lance (dosing head) and its movement — Valves and piping to your tank or reactor
• Weighing of the container during emptying — Flow meter or mass flow meter, if you use one
• The control system, with recipes and records — Your plant control system (DCS/PLC)

Integration and control
The control can either drive your pump and valves directly or send a stop signal to your plant control system. It can also read an existing flow meter together with its own scale so the emptying stops at the right quantity.

Which machine

• Semi-automatic: For small batches and occasional emptying where an operator brings the container and the machine performs weighing and emptying.
• Automatic: With conveyors, containers arrive, are emptied and leave without operator handling.
• Containers: Designed for drums and IBCs (totes), the containers that are heavy or awkward to empty by hand.
• Versions: Explosion-proof versions for flammable products and stainless-steel versions for food, pharmaceutical and corrosive products, built on the same platforms as filling machines.

Why AiCROV for emptying

• Proven in filling: Uses the same weighing, lances and control technology used for filling drums, IBCs and jerrycans by weight.
• Designed for your containers and products: Configurable to handle flammable and corrosive products.
• Tested before delivery: Machines are tested with customer containers following the company project execution process.
• Single point of responsibility: One supplier for the machine, its control and its integration with your process.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you empty drums and IBCs automatically? Yes. Semi-automatic and automatic machines position the container, insert the emptying lance and weigh the product as it leaves.
• Can the machine dose a fixed quantity into a reactor? Yes. In partial emptying the machine stops when the target weight has left the container, enabling exact charging by recipe.
• Do you supply the pump and valves? No. The supplier provides the machine, emptying lance, weighing and control. Pump, valves, piping and any flow meter belong to the customer installation. The control can drive them or work through the plant control system.
• Which containers can be emptied? Drums and IBCs; the machine type is chosen according to the container and desired automation level.
• Can it be used with flammable products? Yes. Machines can be built in an explosion-proof version.
• How much product is left in the container? Typically a few litres in a drum and around ten to fifteen litres in an IBC; residue depends on product viscosity, container type and bottom design, so no minimum residue is guaranteed.
• Is it different from filler machines? It is built on the same platforms and weighing technology as filling machines, using an emptying lance instead of a filling head.

Technical specifications

• Brand: AiCROV
• Model example referenced: AiCROV SP1 (illustrative example of a semi-automatic weigh machine)
• Function: Automated emptying of drums and IBCs; weighed dosing into reactors, tanks or processes
• Operating modes: Semi-automatic and Automatic (with conveyors)
• Containers handled: Drums and IBCs (totes)
• Key components supplied: container handling/positioning machine, emptying lance (dosing head) and movement, weighing system, control system with recipes and records
• Plant-supplied components: pump, valves, piping, optional flow or mass flow meter
• Integration: Direct drive of plant pumps/valves or signaling to DCS/PLC; can read flow meter in combination with scale
• Materials / versions: Explosion-proof versions for flammable products; stainless-steel versions for food, pharmaceutical and corrosive products
• Typical residue after emptying: a few litres for drums; about 10–15 litres for IBCs (varies with product and container)