Articles & News
Articles & News
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- by Rebecca Pyper
When rivers are too high for barges to navigate, grain processors face two big questions: How to maintain product quality […]
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- by Rebecca Pyper
The Dome Technology team is pleased to share its latest video, this time featuring Lehigh Cement’s new clinker dome in […]
The Dome Technology team is pleased to share its latest video, this time featuring Lehigh Cement’s new clinker dome in Mitchell, Indiana.
Lehigh Cement Company contracted with Dome Technology to build a clinker-storage dome in Mitchell, Indiana, USA, one that will increase operational capacity and take the company into the next decade of business. Itโs also the largest clinker storage in the Western Hemisphere and second in the world only to a Romanian structure Dome Technology built in 2008.
Click here to watch the video.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
An updated version of Dome Technology’s cement overview is available now. The document covers key benefits of storing cement and […]
An updated version of Dome Technology’s cement overview is available now. The document covers key benefits of storing cement and cement-related products within a dome and includes a completed-project portfolio.
Click here to download.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technology has completed a two DomeSilo project for independent renewable-energy provider Albioma in Reunion Island. Read the full project […]
Dome Technology has completed a two DomeSilo project for independent renewable-energy provider Albioma in Reunion Island. Read the full project summary here.
Repeat customer Albioma contracted with Dome Technology to build two identical DomeSilos for storing wood pellets at its Bois-Rouge cogeneration unit on Reunion Island. โThis is another impressive project for Albioma,โ Dome Technology CEO Bradley Bateman said.
The design-build project also facilitates responsible energy usage and reduced greenhouse-gas emissions. Albioma leadership committed to fully abandon coal usage at their site; by the middle half of 2023, the power plant will operate completely on biomass.
The domes are 105 feet in diameter and 85.3 feet tall with a capacity of 9,500 cubic meters apiece. Pellets are stored and burned on site to produce electricity for the island. A Vibrafloor system was chosen for reclaim.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Last year Dome Technology worked on 17 construction projects, and wood-pellet domes were the most common. This chart shows the […]
Last year Dome Technology worked on 17 construction projects, and wood-pellet domes were the most common. This chart shows the number of domes in each industry in 2022.
This year the company is keeping busy with cement and cement-related projects domestically and abroad, as well as sugar storage and repair work, to name a few.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
If the ever-growing Dome Technology portfolio is any indication, domes are becoming a go-to solution for companies storing a wide […]
If the ever-growing Dome Technology portfolio is any indication, domes are becoming a go-to solution for companies storing a wide variety of dry-bulk products.
In 2022 Dome Technologyโs team tackled 17 construction projects for products ranging from salt to sugar with wood pellets topping the list in frequency. In 2021 the number of construction projects was similarโcement powder was the star that yearโbut Dome Technology also tacked on 20 engineering projects.
A domeโs appeal is amplified when customers discover Dome Technology not only builds the storage structure but also designs customized reclaim systems to match. Here is an overview of some of the recent projects:
American Crystal Sugar โ Illinois, USA
Dome Technology recently constructed a DomeSilo for repeat customer American Crystal Sugar in Montgomery, Illinois. This 60,000-metric-ton refined-sugar dome was built adjacent to the distribution hubโs existing dome from a 2017 collaboration between the companies. The new dome is 184 feet in diameter and 146 feet tall, similar to the first DomeSilo.
Dome construction was just one part of this project puzzle. The team also adapted existing infrastructure to provide rail loadout. Before this project, sugar was delivered to the site by rail, stored in the dome, then distributed by truck. To expand services, ACS asked Dome Technology to modify the rail system to not only accept rail cars but also load them. โSome of their clients didnโt have truck receiving; they had rail receiving. So moving to rail distribution would diversify who they could sell to,โ Dome Technology sales manager Daren Wheeler said.
On the fabrication side, Dome Technology built and installed a large tube gallery that connects an existing bucket elevator to the new DomeSilo, allowing the company to optimize conveyance and protect product integrity. Built in Dome Technologyโs shop, the tube gallery is 13.5 feet in diameter for ease of maintenance access and extends 160 feet to connect the bucket elevator to the new DomeSilo.
The tube gallery is essential to the project because it helps keep the temperature and moisture levels consistent during conveyance. โAs itโs being transported, it protects the sugar. Thatโs the benefitโ(the sugar) is 100 percent protected from the elements,โ Wheeler said.
Fabrication of a round tube gallery requires precision, and bids from outside manufacturers were cost prohibitive. The project was moved to the Dome Technology shop at company headquarters as a cost-saving measure and allowed for greater quality control. โIt was pretty technical, and it speaks a lot for where we are going with fabrication,โ Wheeler said.
The tubesโ exteriors were finished with insulated paint. Loaded with tiny ceramic discs, this paint boosts insulation values and was a customer request. The gallery was installed in 18 hours.
Bridgesource โ Utah, USA
Two DomeSilos with specialized systems have been built for cement-product provider Bridgesource in Ogden, Utah, USA.
Fly ash or cement is pneumatically conveyed to one of two domes, the centerpiece of the storage facility. Each dome is 108 feet in diameter and 120 feet tall with a capacity of 32,000 short tons cement (25,000 short tons fly ash) each. Reclaim is achieved using an aerated floor system and side discharge. The DomeSilos will also be capable of transitioning to cement storage if necessary.
Trains deliver and discharge product into the pneumatic transport equipment; Dome Technology also constructed a steel building over the pit. From the domes, the product is conveyed to one of two 300-short-ton day bins for truck loading or a batch plant. A 700-foot pipe transports fly ash and cement from the pit to the batch plant.
Drax โ Alabama, USA
Renewable-energy giant and repeat customer Drax completed another dome-centered wood-pellet facility, this time in the southern United States.
Located in Demopolis, Alabama, this new site features two storage domes 90 feet in diameter and 135 feet tall. Both can store 10,000 metric tons apiece and are designed with a 100 percent live-reclaim floor system.
Product is reclaimed using a sloped hopper floor system, and the domes are fitted with state-of-the-art safety systems, including aeration, heat sensors and gas-monitoring sensors.
The site is the epitome of efficiency. Pellets are produced at an on-site plant, then belt-conveyed to a bucket elevator, where they climb the first dome. At the top, the pellets enter a diverter, where they are directed to the desired dome.
Inside both domes, an innovative live-reclaim floor system imagined by Drax and built by Dome Technology is built around a V-shaped floor so product slides easily across the steel-plated floor. According to Dome Technology sales manager Lane Roberts, the domesโ tall and narrow shape fit the available footprint while still maximizing capacity and live-reclaim capabilities.
โIt really does cut down operational costs because you donโt have a lot of equipment to maintain, and you donโt have to have operators in there,โ he said.
Pellets leaving the dome are conveyed about 1,000 feet to the river port, where they are loaded onto barges.
General appeal
Versatility just might be the greatest of all dome virtues. Whether at a portside location with a high water table or a landlocked grain facility, domes boast benefits for all stored products in any environment.
Looking just a bit into the future, Dome Technology team will complete several large-scale projects in the United States and abroad. A DomeSilo is under construction for a Middle Eastern sugar refinery, and Titan Cement is building a dome in Florida and another in Virginia. An international cement company has hired Dome Technology to build a 50,000-metric-ton dome in the southern U.S. and a 25,000-metric-ton dome in South America. As more companies learn about dome benefits, Dome Technologyโs executive team expects the dome will continue to grow in popularity.
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from the Summer 2023 edition of Dry Bulk magazine.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Grain companies looking to increase storage at existing sites can maximize their investment by selecting a DomeSilo from Dome Technology. […]
Grain companies looking to increase storage at existing sites can maximize their investment by selecting a DomeSilo from Dome Technology. By building a new structure on an existing footprint, companies gain greater storage capacity as the DomeSilo is built upward, not outward, requiring no additional land.
Dome Technology pioneered the reinforced-concrete dome concept more than 40 years ago. A DomeSilo is essentially a cylinder-shaped reinforced-concrete structure with a dome-shaped roof. Based on innovative construction methods, no seams are present.
These domes are designed to store more product in a smaller footprint, even when compared to silos. A siloโs traditional conical roof cannot support product, so the entire interior cannot be used for storage. Because the hemispherical geometry of a DomeSilo renders strength at all points of the structure, the entire interior can be used to contain product. In addition, the curved design can double or triple the capacity of any existing circle ground pile with the same footprint or be designed with tall sidewalls to replace or add bin space to an upright facility.
The DomeSilo also provides ideal conditions for grain, safeguarding against insects, birds, pests, and weather to ensure top-level food-grade storage.
Ideal grain-storage conditions
Since wheat, corn, canola, soybeans, and the like are sensitive to moisture and temperature changes, an airtight structure that wards off water and controls the interior environment is the best way to ensure quality control. That level of protection is made possible by the seamless DomeSilo shell, which also staves off boundary issues other structures face. The airform covering the entire DomeSilo prevents water and moisture from seeping in. The combination of waterproof membrane, reinforced concrete shell, and continuous layer of polyurethane foam prevents extreme interior temperature fluctuation; these features reduce heating and cooling of the walls and air inside, preventing condensation.
To complement the protection provided by the shell, grain domes are commonly equipped with monitors and sensors for detecting temperature changes and the presence of carbon dioxide. Blowers near the apex and at the ground level provide aeration for optimal storage conditions.
Editorโs note: The preceding is an excerpt from an article published in the February 2018 issue of Dry Cargo International.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
A company that manages more than 150 miles of roadway in the Midwest utilizes eleven salt storage facilities, each holding the amount […]
A company that manages more than 150 miles of roadway in the Midwest utilizes eleven salt storage facilities, each holding the amount of salt needed for a seasonโs worth of winter weather on a specific stretch of highway. But just like salt breaks down ice, it also deteriorates wood, and in 2019, some of these existing wooden salt-storage domes were past their prime.
โWhen faced with replacing these domes, the choice to go with concrete structures was all about longevity,โ said the companyโs civil infrastructure manager. The leadership team was looking to reduce lifecycle maintenance costs; both its wooden salt domes and rectangular storage facilities with concrete walls and tarp roofs require regular upkeep.
Company management decided on steel-reinforced concrete domes from Dome Technology. โLooking at the numbers, it was more economical over the next 60 years going with domes, partly to reduce upkeep and partly because concrete domes would work well if automation like buckets or conveyors were added later,โ the manager said.
Domes have an unlimited lifespan, which prevents teardown and minimizes material headed for the landfill. Measures designed to protect a domeโs structural integrity are essential to its longevity.
A dome can easily tolerate harsh weather, but the structure itself can also survive a disaster that other types of storage might not and will likely reward customers with insurance-premium savings. Should an earthquake, tsunami or tornado occur, the structure has a better chance of survival than a traditional building, and the stored product inside will not be introduced into the environment.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
As the cement industry has become more sophisticated, companies providing storage have had to follow suit if theyโre going to […]
As the cement industry has become more sophisticated, companies providing storage have had to follow suit if theyโre going to keep up.
Enter the domeโor more specifically, a DomeSiloโa model that competes very well with other storage options. This customizable structure is often taller than it is wide, allows companies to stack product deeper on a smaller footprint and delivers storage and reclaim requirements demanded by savvy cement companies today. Five key benefits, discussed below, are converting more cement customers to dome storage every year.
Product protection
Cement and cement-industry products are completely protected when stored within a dome. Domes boast absolute waterproofing and zero dust emissions. Thermal insulation means no condensation either.
Sealed and seamless, a dome keeps product inside and prevents interaction with the environment. This envelope is multi-layered; a dome is built using the shotcrete method, so concrete is sprayed in place without any construction joints. On the exterior, a high-strength PVC membrane covers the entire structure. Between the membrane and the concrete, urethane foam protects the life of the structure as well as the stored product.
The PVC membrane ensures complete waterproof protection for the reinforced concrete shell and, consequently, the material stored within. A mold-resistant UV-protective resin coats both sides of the membrane, providing long-term protection from these two common sources of degradation. No other silo or bulk-storage system offers this type of waterproof protection, and this exterior requires almost zero superficial maintenance.
An increasing number of cement producers are contracting with Dome Technology to build domes with this level of product protection. A dome โis proven to be an economical and reliable solution for long-term storage,โ said Dome Technology CEO Bradley Bateman.
High capacity
Companies opting for a DomeSilo can store more product on a smaller piece of land than within a silo of comparable dimensions. A dome can be filled to the top because product can be stored into the roof of the dome. Silos canโt say the same.
Recently, Lehigh Cement Company contracted with Dome Technology to build a clinker-storage dome in Mitchell, Indiana, USA, one that will increase operational capacity and take the company into the next decade of business.
This dome for Lehigh Cement, a subsidiary of Lehigh Hanson, dwarfs most other bulk storage, standing 220 feet in diameter and 160 feet tall. Its storage capacity maxes out at 169,000 metric tons, and three on-grade reclaim tunnels achieve 83 percent live reclaim.
โItโs a colossal project. Itโs one of our bigger domes as far as storage capacity,โ said Dome Technology sales manager Lane Roberts.
The project was centered around the second largest kiln in the Americasโan accurate representation of Lehighโs โstrong growth in the United States and our continued commitment to our customers to meet the growing demand for a consistent, high-quality cement whilst improving our manufacturing efficiencies and reducing emissions,โ said Lehigh Cement deputy project director and civil manager Kevin Cove.
Dome Technologyโs scope of work included dome construction, deep foundations, ring beam, tunnels and at-grade entry for front-end loader.
Strength
A DomeSilo is built to last indefinitely. Its construction is natural-disaster resistant, and its round geometry yields higher tolerance for settling or withstanding impact. DomeSilos can store more than silos of similar dimensions. Increased capacity is made possible by geometry: The double curvature of a dome lends itself to the ability to build up, rather than out, and the curve provides strength at all points of the structure, even at the apex. The entire interior can be used to contain product.
A DomeSiloโs concrete shell and geometry boast unrivaled strength. Dome construction methods require no interior roof trusses or beams, so the entire inside volume of the dome can be utilized for storage or reclaim systems.
Customization
Every dome is engineered and built to customer specifications, and Dome Technologyโs team is adept at adjusting plans and maximizing capabilities to provide cement storage that meets and exceeds expectations.
Customization isnโt simply superficial with a dome either. When a dome is designed with operations in mind, expenses drop. Companies can rely on domes as a key component to running facilities for less and choosing ideal reclaim systems. Cement is reclaimed from the dome using fluidized floor systems.
Asking the right questions is essential to securing the ideal handling system. Thatโs why Dome Technologyโs design-build team utilizes scope questionnaires addressing everything from mechanical systems and property issues to reclaim. These questionnaires are part of front-end engineering that helps identify a handling system that will deliver more bang for the buck now and in the long run. These factors guide early conversations:
- Capacity requirements: How much product needs to be stored and transported annually?
- Geographical and geological position: Define the site requirements and determine the site-specific geotechnical information.
- Expansion: Is this a project extending a facilityโs original scope? Is future growth likely?
- Product consideration: A turnkey builder like Dome Technology can provide counsel on designing unique storage for each specific stored product.
- Operations: What are the companyโs plans for filling, reclaim, product management and controlling inventories? If these arenโt known or defined, help is available.
Two major advantages with design-build are that change orders are reduced and schedules are usually met because each phase of the project is built into the plan. These often yield cost savings and a smoother construction experience.
A turnkey solution
Dome Technology can deliver the complete package. The team invented the dome-construction process and can provide the design and installation of the mechanical systems required for bulk storage, from equipment on the inbound side to reclaim systems and throughput rates.
If Dome Technologyโs current project list is any indication, thereโs no slowdown in sight for the cement industry. The team is working on several cement and cement-product projects this year and in conversations for multiple future contracts. With sophistication on the increase, customers can secure the facility they want, and the process is made easier by selecting a construction company that can oversee the project from start to finish.
By Rebecca Long Pyper for Dome Technology
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt of an article that ran in the April 2023 issue of World Cement.
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- by Rebecca Pyper
Dome Technologyโs sales team recently returned from its annual retreat, held this year in Reykjavik, Iceland. Team members from international […]
Dome Technologyโs sales team recently returned from its annual retreat, held this year in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Team members from international headquarters and the European office gathered March 6 to 10 to discuss leadership and professional ownership and were treated to glacier hikes and Northern Lights observation.
Great job on another successful year, team!