Increased safety and efficiency for grain storage

Task

When storing grain, numerous parameters must be continuously acquired, monitored, and controlled. Temperature rises can indicate elevated moisture levels, mold growth, pest infestation, or other forms of quality deterioration in the stored grain. Reliable acquisition of filling levels is also necessary to provide a clear overview of inventory levels and available capacity. The collected measurement data must be accessible at all times so that anomalies can be detected at an early stage and appropriate corrective actions can be taken. In addition, a high degree of automation is required to minimize manual intervention and ensure safe as well as efficient plant operation.

Additional requirements arise from the dust-laden environment in grain silos. Airborne grain dust can create a potentially explosive atmosphere which is why the headspace of silos is often classified as ATEX Zone 20. The applied measurement and automation technology must therefore be suitable for operation in potentially explosive areas and, at the same time, ensure reliable data acquisition and process control.

Solution approach

JUMO offers a comprehensive measurement, automation, and visualization solution for the reliable monitoring of storage conditions and grain inventories as well as for the automation of central processes.

Temperature monitoring is carried out using an ATEX-approved multipoint temperature probe that was especially developed for use in grain silos. This solution is designed and manufactured by JUMO’s French subsidiary in Metz. It acquires the temperature across the entire silo height, thereby providing a detailed temperature profile of the stored grain. Changes in temperature that may indicate increased moisture, mold growth, or other quality issues are reliably detected as a result. The robust probe design is ideally suited to the demanding environmental influences found in grain silos. In addition, it can be mounted on both steel structures and concrete slabs. Connection housings made of aluminum or stainless steel with an IP6X protection type allow the measuring insert to be replaced even when the silo is full. Inside the sensor, Pt100 or Pt1000 probes compliant with DIN EN 60751 ensure high measurement accuracy and repeatability. The individual measurement points can be evenly spaced over a total length of up to 50 meters. Level monitoring is provided by the JUMO ZELOS C01 LS capacitive level switch.

Suitable technologies are also available for control as well as for the acquisition, archiving, and analysis of measurement data. The JUMO variTRON automation system handles central control and automation tasks. Thanks to integrated logic and mathematical functions, alarms can be triggered and downstream processes can be automated. Process data acquisition takes place via the integrated Recorder App, which replicates the functions of a paperless recorder within the automation system, thereby eliminating the need for additional hardware. The browser-based JUMO smartWARE Evaluation enables higher-level analysis, visualization, and archiving of the data. In addition, JUMO smartWARE SCADA and the JUMO Cloud allow users to conveniently monitor and control plants and processes from any location.

Project outcome

The seamless interaction of sensor technology, automation, and data analysis significantly simplifies silo management. Relevant information is available at all times wherever it is needed, from the local plant level to mobile access. As a result, monitoring, documentation, and control tasks can be carried out more efficiently, while significantly reducing the workload for personnel.