Research on the effect of the cone-in-cone insert on the discharge behaviour of conical silo

During silo unloading, the reliability of the silo can be improved by adding inserts with appropriate parameters to improve the flow pattern. In this study, DEM was used to study the influence of the cone-in-cone insert parameters on the silo discharge behaviour. The contact parameters were measured through a series of experiments, and the DEM model was established and verified. Furthermore, the silo unloading process with different insert parameter combinations was simulated, and the flow patterns were characterized by the Mass flow index (MFI). The simulation results revealed that the insert angle β and the height from the silo port H1 significantly affect the flow pattern. To realize the mass flow, H1, H2 and D2 should be reasonably selected under the β > 135°. After adding an insert with the β > 130°, the normal pressure along the silo wall was evenly distributed, and there was less wear. [Display omitted] •The mass flow can be achieved by adding cone-in-cone inserts into the funnel flow silo.•The insert inclination angle β and the height from the silo port H1 significantly affect the flow pattern.•The most severe wear area along the silo wall is at the discharge port.•Adding an insert with β > 130° can reduce the silo wall wear and normal pressure.