450 MT/H High-Throughput Solution: GSS Empowers Jilin Fuel Ethanol’s Safe Grain Discharge
Key Highlights
Facing the dual needs of national renewable energy strategy implementation and efficient industrial conversion of aged grain in Northeast China, Jilin Fuel Ethanol Co., Ltd. (under CNPC) required a high-reliability, high-turnover, and low-loss corn raw material handling system.
GSS deployed heavy-duty En-Masse Conveyors (450 MT/H capacity, up to 44m length) and Heavy-duty 90-foot Bin Sweeps to achieve fully enclosed conveying and automated 360° sweeping.
The system built a seamless loop from efficient discharge to precise blending, achieving breakthroughs in intrinsic safety (unmanned cleanout), quality protection (low breakage & zero dust), and operational efficiency.
Client Profile: A Leading Biomass Energy Enterprise Under CNPC
Jilin Fuel Ethanol Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), is a pioneering core enterprise under China’s national vehicle ethanol gasoline strategy and a leader in the domestic bioenergy sector. Located in Jilin City, Jilin Province—a major grain-producing region in Northeast China—the company plays a critical role in consuming aged grain reserves, ensuring clean energy supply, and extending the agricultural value chain. To meet growing renewable energy demands, the facility required an industrial-grade grain handling system with exceptional throughput, continuous stability, and robust dust safety control.
Goals & Challenges: Meeting Large-Scale Industrial Demands Requires Overcoming High Throughput, Grain Protection, and Silo Safety Hurdles
Facing the rigorous continuous feeding requirements of fuel ethanol production, the project confronted a triple engineering challenge: continuous high-throughput operation, grain degradation and dust control, and intrinsically safe, unmanned silo sweeping operations.
- Continuous Heavy-Duty Operation：The ethanol fermentation process demands zero supply interruption. The facility required single-line conveying capacities up to 450 MT/H with heavy-duty reliability for long-distance, continuous operations.
- Grain Integrity & Dust Prevention: Raw corn (especially aged corn with varying moisture) is prone to breakage during high-speed conveying. Excess fines lead to silo bridging and generate hazardous combustible dust.
- Safe Cleanout & Operational Efficiency: Gravity discharge leaves significant grain residues in large 90-foot silos. Manual cleanout is slow, delays turnover, and presents severe hazards including oxygen deficiency, grain entrapment, and dust explosion risks.
Customized Solution: Integrating System for High-Throughput Sealed Conveying and Automated Clean-Sweeping
To address site conditions and process pain points, GSS customized a complete equipment system combining heavy-duty En-Masse Conveyors and heavy-duty Bin Sweeps for efficient conveying and fully automated silo discharge.
- Mainline Conveying System: Deployed 2 units of En-Masse Conveyors (lengths: 38m and 44m) with a capacity of 450 MT/H each for raw corn. High-strength drag flights and wear-resistant liners minimize kernel breakage, while fully sealed casings prevent dust emission and guarantee uniform feed to downstream processing.
- Silo Unloading& Sweeping System: Deployed 3 units of Heavy-duty 90-foot Bin Sweeps with a capacity of 200 MT/H each. Featuring a dual-drive system (“auger rotation + 360° sweep revolution”), the system automatically breaks bridging post-gravity flow, pushing residual grain to the central sumps for complete, automated clean-sweep.
Project Value: Transforming Technical Features into Commercial Value across Intrinsic Safety, Quality Preservation, and High Turnover
Process Stability & Blending Optimization
Supports independent discharge from multiple silos. Combining forced discharge via bin sweeps and high-capacity converging via En-Masse conveyors enables precise blending of corn batches with varying moisture content, stabilizing downstream fermentation feeds.
Safety & Eco-Friendly Operations
Achieved 100% unmanned operations inside large silos during sweeping, eliminating safety hazards associated with manual entry. Enclosed conveying minimizes airborne dust, significantly reducing labor and explosion prevention burdens.
Capacity Utilization & Loss Reduction
Complete residue removal prevents grain heating and spoilage from long-term storage, maximizing effective silo capacity and boosting turnover efficiency.
"In the continuous industrial production of fuel ethanol, a stable and safe raw material supply is our lifeline. The heavy-duty En-Masse Conveyors and Bin Sweeps provided by GSS have demonstrated exceptional engineering reliability and high-throughput performance. The system not only achieved 100% unmanned, intrinsically safe silo cleanout operations, but also ensured stable raw material quality for downstream fermentation processes through flexible discharge and smooth conveying. GSS is a truly trustworthy partner."