Dubai Double 120  tons silo project

Project Background

In mid-2025, a concrete supplier from Dubai in the Middle East purchased two sets of steel silos with a capacity of 120  tons from our company for its new dry-mixed mortar/concrete mixing plant. The annual production capacity of this factory is approximately 250,000-300,000   cubic meters of concrete/mortar, and the daily consumption of cement and powder is about 150-200  tons. To ensure the storage demand for continuous production for 2 to 3 days and leave a safety margin, the customer requires that each silo can store at least 120  tons of powder. Based on the customer ‘s requirements, our company recommended and delivered two 120  ton vertical silos. To maximize your investment ROI, it’s crucial to track current market trends. See our latest analysis on [2026 Grain Prices per Bushel] to decide the best time for grain discharge.”

In view of the convenience of transportation and the limited on-site installation conditions, we provide customers with detachable (bolted) type silos, which are convenient for sea transportation and rapid on-site assembly.

Main Technical Parameters of Silo

Storage capacity: 120  tons per silo (approximately 80-85 m³, estimated based on powder density of 1.4-1.5 t/m³)

Structural form: vertical cylindrical + conical bottom + outrigger structure, bolted bolt connection, convenient for segmented transportation and on-site assembly.

Silo diameter: approximately Ø 3.06 m (consistent with the common 100-ton silo diameter in the industry)

Silo height: The total height of the silo body and the conical bottom is approximately 17-18 m (including the conical bottom and the discharge device), and the height of the outrigger should be ≥ 4 m to facilitate bottom discharge and the installation of the screw conveyor equipment. This structure is in accordance with the general design of 100-150-ton bolted silos.

Silo material: The silo body and cone are made of high-strength steel plates (such as ST-37 and other commonly used structural steel materials). The legs are made of φ219 mm × 5 mm steel pipes. The bottom cone support adopts C-shaped steel support structure, which complies with industry standards. Similar parameters frequently appear in the profiles of multiple manufacturers.

Anti-corrosion and surface treatment: Anti-corrosion primer and final epoxy topcoat are applied both inside and outside the cylinder body, with a total paint film thickness of approximately 120-150 µm, to adapt to the high humidity and high salt spray environment along the Middle East coast. This coating method is a common practice for most export silos worldwide.

Supporting facilities: including top feeding flange, filling pipe, powder discharge butterfly valve, bottom hopper, dust filter, safety valve, material level alarm device, conical bottom vibration/fluidization device, as well as external maintenance platform and ladder, to ensure operation safety and smooth discharge.

Logistics and On-site Installation

Logistics and transportation

After leaving our factory in China, two silos were sent by sea to the Port of Dubai (Jebel Ali). Each silo was disassembled into several sectional components and loaded into 40-foot open-top (OT) containers and flatbed trailers. All bolted connections, flanges, legs, etc. are clearly packaged and accompanied by packing lists and loading and unloading instructions.

On-site installation

• Preparation stage: The customer poured the concrete foundation platform in advance (length 5 m × width 5 m × thickness 0.3 m, grade C25 concrete), and pre-embedded bolts in the foundation for fixing the outriggers.
• Assembly process：
• First, assemble the outriggers and the cone bottom, and correct the levelness ±5 mm.
• Then, the cylinder body steel plates are assembled in sections, connected with high-strength bolts, and pre-tightening tests are conducted under the working conditions.
• Install the top cover plate, feed flange, dust filter and safety valve.
• Install the bottom discharge system (butterfly valve + fluidization device) as well as the maintenance platform and ladder.
• Finally, conduct an overall structural inspection, including the welds of the steel structure, the torque of the bolts, and the integrity of the anti-corrosion coating, etc.

The entire installation process lasted approximately 5 days (with two silos operating in parallel). Our company dispatched experienced engineering technicians to provide on-site guidance and strengthened anti-corrosion and sealing treatments based on the local sandstorm and sea salt environment.

Feeding and Debugging

After installation was completed, no-load testing, pressure testing and level alarm linkage testing were carried out, and then the first feeding was conducted – a mixture of dry powder cement and mineral powder. Each silo was initially tested with approximately 110 tons of material. After passing through the fluidization device, vibration and screw conveying system, the discharge speed was stably maintained at about 15 tons per hour. During the discharge process, there was no caking or ash leakage, and the discharge was smooth and stable.

The customer then conducted a 48-hour continuous production trial run to simulate real production conditions. During this period, the silo performed well, with a stable structure. The dust-proof, sealing and anti-corrosion aspects all met the customer’s expectations.

Project Outcomes and Customer Feedback

Inventory guarantee: Two 120-ton silos can provide the concrete plant with approximately 240 tons of powder capacity, meeting the inventory requirements for 2 to 3 consecutive days of production, ensuring a stable supply of raw materials and not affecting the concrete supply arrangement.

Construction efficiency improvement: Due to the quick on-site assembly, which can be completed in just 5 days, customers have saved a significant amount of construction preparation and labor costs.

Operational stability: Through the combined discharge system of fluidization, screw conveying and vibration, rapid and uniform discharge is achieved, avoiding the problems of powder bridge frames and material blockage, and improving production continuity.

Excellent weather resistance: With an enhanced anti-corrosion coating and dust-proof sealing design, the silo has adapted to the high humidity and high salt fog environment along the coast of Dubai. Customers are very satisfied with its long-term use.

Customer review: The customer representative provided feedback: “Throughout the entire project, your silos have been professional and efficient from design, logistics, installation to on-site commissioning. The operation of the silos has been stable and reliable, laying a solid foundation for the smooth commissioning of our new factory.”

Summary and Experience Sharing

The modular design + bolted structure is an efficient solution for export projects and overseas installation – convenient for transportation, reduces sea freight costs, and enables quick on-site assembly.

Data and structural design should refer to industry standards. The main parameters of the silo in this project (diameter Ø ≈ 3.06 m, height ≈ 17-18 m, outrigger height ≥ 4 m) comply with the common standards of 100-150 ton bolted silo.

Take into account the local environment – for high-humidity and high-salt areas such as the Middle East coast, design and construction should be strengthened in terms of anti-corrosion, dust-proofing and anti-caking of silos, such as using multi-layer epoxy paint, dust-proof filters, safety valves, etc.

Full-process customer service – from basic preparation guidance, on-site assembly supervision, to commissioning and initial material input, technical support is arranged to ensure that customers can proceed smoothly from installation to operation.

Through this Dubai Double 120-ton silo project, we not only demonstrated our company’s professional capabilities in the export and on-site installation of steel structure silos, but also accumulated valuable experience for the future Middle East and other overseas markets. We welcome more customers with similar needs to contact us. We will continue to provide you with high-quality and highly stable powder storage solutions.

To understand what is a grain silo and how it protected the harvest in this project, read our detailed guide.