ATEX air cannon AIRCHOC® ATEX

for hopperfor storage processfor Silo

Context
Coal mine in Indonesia: two coal hoppers experienced repeated blockages during the rainy season due to high humidity.

Problem
Frequent clogging of two coal hoppers when ambient humidity increases, causing material accumulation and flow interruption.

Customer's temporary solution

• Operators unblocking with hammers and metal bars at accumulation points.
• Installing internal liners to reduce coal adhesion to hopper walls.

Problem persists
The temporary measures did not prevent recurring blockages, prompting the customer to consider an automated solution.

Solution

• Installed 4 AIRCHOC® ATEX units on each of the two hoppers (ATEX selected to mitigate explosion risk in dusty atmospheres).
• Added a manual switch per hopper to trigger AIRCHOC® operations; activations are sequenced by the control panel.
• Recommended triggering frequency: 4–5 activations per day to ensure effective and continuous cleaning of air lines.
• Fitted an air filter on each hopper to neutralize fine coal dust and protect the AIRCHOC® mechanism.

Result
The installation eliminated manual unblocking of the two hoppers during the rainy season. AIRCHOC® is also regularly installed on raw material storage units (sand, powders, flours, grains, wood chips, peat, straw, mulch) and on end-of-process silos such as fly ash or lime silos.

Applications

• Raw material storage: sand, powders, flours, grains, wood chips, peat, straw, mulch.
• End-of-process silos: fly ash, lime silos.

Technical specifications

• Product: AIRCHOC® (ATEX version used for this installation).
• Configuration: 4 AIRCHOC® units per hopper (2 hoppers affected).
• Control: manual switch per hopper; sequenced activation from control panel.
• Recommended frequency: 4–5 activations per day.
• Accessory: air filter on each hopper to neutralize fine coal dust.
• Purpose: avoid manual unclogging and ensure continuous cleaning of air hoses under high-humidity conditions.