Material
Wood Chips & Sawdust
Answer in brief
Wood chips do not flow, they interlock, and that distinction decides every design choice.
Long slivers bridge over openings that would pass the nominal particle size easily, and moisture swings between delivery and use change the bulk density by half.
- Use mechanical discharge, because gravity alone will not empty the silo.
- Screen out oversize and slivers before they reach a narrow point.
- Treat dry fines as a combustible dust with real ignition risk.
Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026
Handling challenges
Biomass plants spend more time clearing blockages than almost any other bulk handling operation, and the cause is usually particle shape rather than capacity.
Interlocking and bridging
Slivers and long chips form stable arches over openings many times their nominal size.
- Screw dischargers, walking floors or sliding frames rather than gravity cones.
- Screening to remove oversize before storage.
- Generous chute cross sections with no converging corners where fibres can wedge.
Moisture variation
A delivery at 50 percent moisture and one at 15 percent are different materials in weight, flow and energy content.
Storage design, feeder sizing and combustion control all have to cope with the range, and inline moisture measurement pays for itself at the boiler.
Fire and dust
Dry sawdust is a classic explosible dust, and stored chip piles can self-heat through biological activity and oxidation.
Temperature monitoring in piles, spark detection before filters and explosion protection on milling and collection equipment are standard.
Tramp material
Forest and recycled wood streams carry stones, nails and occasional steel.
Magnets and stone traps protect downstream equipment, and their absence is usually discovered through a damaged screw or a fire.
What to establish before buying equipment
- Particle size distribution including the longest slivers.
- Moisture range across suppliers and seasons.
- Bulk density at both moisture extremes.
- Tramp metal expectation and the detection method.
Material behavior
- Flowability
- Poor; interlocking rather than flowing
- Abrasiveness
- Low, but sand contamination raises wear
- Cohesiveness
- Mechanical interlocking, worse when wet
- Moisture behavior
- Varies from 10 to over 50 percent
Partner with powderbulkvideos.com
Put a relevant technical solution in this decision path.
Connect your company and video evidence with clearly labelled visibility where engineers evaluate this material, application, industry or product.
Related content
Continue exploring
Move from this page to the companies, videos and technical topics that add useful context.
Companies
Videos
Laidig Systems
Laidig Systems: Applications – Powder and Bulk Solids
Laidig Systems designs and builds custom storage and reclaim systems that automate the unloading of dry bulk materials. The company focuses on materials with poor flow characteristics and delivers reclaimers for flat- and cone-bottom structures in industries such as food processing, biomass, power, cement, and mining.
Total reach: 24,452
Camfil APC
Overview of Gold Series Industrial Dust Collectors
Camfil APC provides an official overview of its Gold Series industrial dust collector platform and the role of cartridge collection in industrial dust-control systems.
Total reach: 3,310