Editing Bulk material handling (section)

{{Short description|Engineering field}}
[[Image:Seattle-Smith-Cove-grain-terminal-2395.jpg|thumb|right|A ship being loaded at Pier 86 Grain Terminal in [[Port of Seattle|Seattle]]]]
[[Image:Silosi u Čakovcu - jugoistok.jpg|thumb|right|Concrete grain storage silos]]
'''Bulk material handling''' is an [[engineering]] field that is centered on the design of equipment used for the handling of dry materials. Bulk materials are those dry materials which are powdery, granular or lumpy in nature, and are stored in heaps.<ref name="auto">{{Citation |last=Shah |first=K. P. |title=Fundamentals, Troubleshooting & Maintenance of Ash Handling Plants and Pneumatic Conveying Systems for Bulk Materials |date=2017 |year= |url=https://practicalmaintenance.net/wp-content/uploads/Maintenance-of-Ash-Handling-Plants-and-Pneumatic-Conveying-Systems.pdf |access-date= |publisher=Maintenance of Ash Handling Plants and Pneumatic Conveying Systems |last2= |first2= |author-link= |author2-link=}}.</ref> Examples of bulk materials are [[minerals]], [[ore]]s, [[coal]], [[cereal]]s, [[woodchips]], [[sand]], [[gravel]], [[clay]], [[cement]], [[ash]], [[salt]], [[chemicals]], [[grain]], [[sugar]], [[flour]] and [[Rock (geology)|stone]] in loose bulk form. It can also relate to the handling of mixed [[waste]]s. Bulk material handling is an essential part of all industries that process bulk ingredients, including: food, beverage, confectionery, pet food, animal feed, tobacco, chemical, agricultural, polymer, plastic, rubber, ceramic, electronics, metals, minerals, paint, paper, textiles and more.

Major characteristics of bulk materials, so far as their handling is concerned, are: lump size, [[Bulk density|bulk weight (density)]], [[Water content|moisture content]], flowability (particle mobility), [[angle of repose]], [[Abrasive wear|abrasiveness]] and [[Corrosion|corrosivity]], among others.<ref name="auto"/>

Bulk material handling systems are typically composed of stationary machinery such as [[conveyor belt]]s, [[screw conveyor]]s, tubular drag conveyors, [[moving floor]]s, toploaders, [[stacker]]s, [[reclaimer]]s, [[bucket elevator]]s, truck dumpers, [[Rotary car dumper|railcar dumpers or wagon tipplers]], [[shiploader]]s, [[Chute (gravity)|hoppers]] and diverters and various mobile equipment such as [[loader (equipment)|loaders]], mobile hopper loaders / unloaders, various shuttles, combined with storage facilities such as [[Feedlot|stockyards]], [[Silo|storage silo]]s or [[stockpile]]s. Advanced bulk material handling systems feature integrated bulk storage (silos), conveying (mechanical or pneumatic<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.powderprocess.net/Pneumatic_transport.html|title=Pneumatic Conveying - Dilute phase - Dense phase Design - PowderProcess.net|website=www.powderprocess.net}}</ref>), and discharge.

The purpose of a bulk material handling facility may be to transport material from one of several locations (i.e. a source) to an ultimate destination or to process material such as ore in concentrating and [[smelting]] or handling materials for manufacturing such as logs, wood chips and sawdust at sawmills and paper mills. Other industries using bulk materials handling include flour mills and coal-fired utility boilers.

Providing storage and inventory control and possibly material blending is usually part of a bulk material handling system.

In ports handling large quantities of bulk materials [[Shiploader|continuous ship unloaders]] are replacing [[gantry crane]]s.