Dome Technology gas launched a microsite featuring information about the new Drive-Thru DomeSilo. The model has been designed by Dome Technology for cement and flyash storage, allowing companies to fill truck or rail directly from the storage structure and speeding up the process of product reception delivery. Drive-Thru DomeSilo incorporates a fill pipe, storage vessel, ladder access, truck scale and appropriate foundation. “Cement companies can save on building a single drive-through storage facility by eliminating the need for multiple mechanical systems, two operators and multiple structures,” Roberts said, noting that the DomeSilo is less expensive to build than a silo of similar capacity. The model allows for direct load-out, where stored product flows through a hopper for direct load-out into the truck or rail. The dome will provide 100 percent live reclaim utilizing a fully aerated floor. “Dome Technology is providing a full turnkey system, not just the storage bin,” said consulting engineer Doug Weber of Engineering System Solutions. According to Weber, the drive-through model could be used for applications like grain in the future, but the extremely active cement market took priority because demand for terminal storage is high. “Cement receiving, whether from a barge, shipping vessel or train, can be unloaded into the dome and then directly loaded into trucks or rail cars. This system directly competes with bolted steel tanks and drive-through concrete silos. Due to the unique construction techniques, this storage vessel is quickly constructed and very competitive,” Weber said. The Drive-Thru DomeSilo can be used as a day bin when built on a small scale, but in actuality “it s more like a drive-thru silo—it can store so much more than a typical steel day bin,” Roberts said. The dome s dimensions will vary by project and customer need; the bin size will likely range from 1,500 to 15,000 tons and will work well storing the typical drive-through capacity of 4,000 to 10,000 tons. However, by utilizing a fluidized floor system, “you could easily apply this same concept to a 60,000-ton DomeSilo,” Dome Technology CEO Bradley Bateman said. “There is no limit on the storage size for this technology.” /world cement