Finding the Volume of a Material Inside a Silo

by Gary De La Rosa

Submitted : Spring 2013

In the cement business it is very important to keep track of the large amounts of materials that are received and dispatched every day. For this purpose there is a theoretical inventory, which works with estimated numbers that are added and subtracted as loaded trucks come and go. The problem with this theoretical inventory is that it does not display the exact amount of cement available; it only shows a rough estimate. It is a priority and a necessity in this business to know the exact amount of material available in the storage silos.

In this project, a formula to find the volume of a material inside a cement silo using the height of the storage tower and the angle of repose of the material was derived. The purpose of this formula was to find an easy way of calculating the volume of material that enters and leaves the cement plant. The calculated value found using the formula could be compared to a theoretical inventory value to check for discrepancies in the amounts.

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