Seven Major Advantages Help Reduce Costs and Increase Efficiency! A Glimpse of Yodn Air Dome's Industrial Warehousing Technology [Indonesia Mining Conference]

At the 2025 Indonesia Mining Conference and Critical Metals Forum - Nickel, Cobalt, and NEV Session, Chen Sitong, Sales Assistant of Metaspace, presented information on "Yorton Air Dome Industrial Storage Technology."

Product Introduction by Beijing Yorton Air Dome Company

Product Features

1. Low investment, less than half the cost of steel structures for equivalent capacity;

2. High space utilization rate, easily achieving 200-meter spans with flexible process layout;

3. Ultra-short construction period, modular on-site installation with no construction waste;

4. Simple maintenance and operation, intelligent control, increasing production space safety;

5. Safe, green, and environmental protection, lightweight, low cost, low energy consumption, excellent performance in wind, snow, and earthquake resistance, low foundation requirements, anti-settlement, and corrosion resistance;

6. Controllable internal environment, superior ventilation, efficient internal environment monitoring and management;

7. Mobile and reusable, simple disassembly with no loss, suitable for permanent or seasonal storage.

Illustration of Nine Major Systems for Air Dome Storage 9

1. Anchoring System

The anchoring principle of cable-membrane involves pre-embedded bolts and steel cable anchors, utilizing hot-dip galvanized pressure angle steel, pre-embedded screws, rubber-plastic insulation cotton, and steel cable anchors to fix the cable-membrane structure to the concrete foundation.

1.1 Steel Cable Network

Considering extreme weather and the membrane structure's span-to-rise ratio, the air dome surface is equipped with a diagonal cross-type steel cable network system with the following parameters:

(1) High-performance hot-dip galvanized steel core cables ensure sufficient safety redundancy under extreme weather, preventing cable breakage.

(2) Cables are coated with hot-extruded polyethylene (PE) protective sleeves (PE thickness ≥2mm), with waterproof treatments like grease coating and membrane wrapping at cable ends to prevent corrosion.

(3) Cable intersections are secured with anodised aluminum extrusion clamps to prevent PE layer damage caused by cable slippage.

1.2 Cable Force Calculation

A 22mm diameter steel cable with a 6x36WS+IWR structure and 1960MPa tensile strength has a breaking force of 338kN.

Calculations show: the maximum cable force in the air dome ranges from 224.8kN to 281kN under ultimate load conditions. 281 (maximum cable force under ultimate load) x1.20 (safety coefficient) <338, thus 22mm diameter cables are adopted.

2. Membrane System

2.1 Light Transmission and Shading Combination

The air dome uses a combination of light-transmitting and shading membranes. The light-transmitting membrane ensures natural lighting during daytime operations, eliminating the need for artificial lighting. The top features shading membranes, while the sides use light-transmitting membranes, balancing lighting and temperature control by avoiding direct sunlight.

For nighttime operations, lighting is provided via column-mounted fixtures, utilizing the membrane's diffuse reflection for uniform illumination, surpassing conventional buildings in brightness.

3. Lighting

(1) Explosion-proof LED lights are prioritized, with wall-mounted and high-position installations;

(2) Professional software DIALux is used for illumination calculations based on requirements;

(3) Lighting fixtures are installed on walls or high poles.

4. Management System

Yorton Air Dome features the most advanced intelligent control system, combining environmental protection, energy efficiency, and smart manufacturing for a low-carbon solution.

4.1 Indoor and Outdoor Environment Monitoring

Outdoor wind speed sensors and snow depth sensors monitor conditions, intelligently adjusting fan operation to handle extreme weather.

Indoor temperature and humidity sensors regulate ventilation to maintain optimal conditions.

Differential pressure sensors control fan operation and frequency.

Program-controlled ventilation ensures safety, with PC-based automation for user-friendly management.

4.2 Dust Monitoring

Coal dust, generated during transport and processing, poses explosion risks when airborne concentrations reach critical levels.

Dust concentration detectors in high-risk areas trigger increased ventilation and dust suppression via exhaust valves with plate dust collectors, meeting national standards and ensuring safety.

4.3 Gas and CO Monitoring

Coal piles emit methane due to self-heating, posing explosion risks at certain concentrations.

Monitors placed at the dome's top detect hazardous gas levels, triggering alarms and emergency ventilation to expel gases and prevent explosions.

5. Ventilation

CFD analysis using Ansys Fluent simulates airflow and hazardous gas dispersion (methane, CO, hydrogen sulfide) under extreme conditions, optimizing ventilation layout in the air dome facility.
The positioning of the air supply and exhaust vents can effectively control the concentration of various harmful gases inside the air-supported structure, with the maximum concentration values well below the regulatory limits. From a theoretical analysis, the internal environment of the air-supported structure is safe and reliable when adopting this design scheme, while also providing a comfortable internal temperature, truly achieving controllable and adjustable internal environmental quality of the air-supported structure.

5.1 Fan

For the air supply and pressurization system, fans with air volumes of 75,000 m³/h or 45,000 m³/h are generally used, and the fans are arranged along the long side on one side. The overall air exchange rate of the air-supported structure, with all fans in operation, is not less than 0.7 times per hour. Under normal ventilation conditions, one-third of the fans are used.

The indoor air pressure is maintained between 250-500Pa through an automatic control system, which automatically adjusts the air pressure inside the warehouse according to changes in the outdoor environment.

The exhaust system includes electric exhaust valves installed on the opposite side of the fans, with valves at the ends that can be manually or automatically controlled to open or close.

5.2 Decompression Chamber (for coal conveyor belts entering and exiting the air-supported structure)

6. Dust Suppression System

Dust generated during operations:Dust is generated during bucket wheel machine operations and vehicle operations.

Dust generated during the transfer process:Dust is generated during vehicle operation.

Dust entering from the outdoors through fans:When outdoor transport roads are close to fan equipment, dust can enter the indoor area through the fans.

6.1 Dust Suppression Measures

1. Dry Mist Dust Suppression

The dry mist dust suppression device effectively adsorbs inhalable particles with a diameter of less than 5 μm, causing the dust to settle under the force of gravity, thereby achieving dust suppression. Dry mist dust suppression is mostly used at the stacking and reclaiming operations of bucket wheel machines. It has a quick effect and a wide coverage area, but its drawback is high cost.

2. Fog Cannon Dust Suppression

For dust particles ranging from 50-200μm, we use fog cannons with a lift height of 80-120 meters for full coverage, ensuring that at least one fog cannon covers every 5,000 m² of the working area.

3. Outdoor Wet Dust Collector

The wet dust collector for the air-supported structure mainly consists of three parts: a purification unit, a water circulation system, and a sedimentation tank. It is connected to the exhaust duct. Currently, the allowable emission concentration for industrial workshops according to Chinese national standards is 50mg per m³. The water dust removal device can reduce the dust emission concentration to 20mg per m³, which is better than the national standard.

7. Fire Protection System

(1) Analysis of Fire Risk Factors:

The following hazards may exist in an enclosed coal warehouse:

1.1 Long-term storage of lignite, with a storage period preferably not exceeding 30 days;

1.2 Fires caused by human factors;

1.3 Fires caused by electrical issues;

1.4 Fires ignited by coal conveyor corridor belts;

7.1 Image-based Fire Detector

The image-based fire monitoring system can detect fires using infrared technology and then analyze them using image-based fire detection to ensure round-the-clock monitoring. The monitoring area coverage rate reaches 100%, with no blind spots or dead zones. Once a fire is detected, it can quickly and reliably send out an alarm signal.

(2) System Detection Functions:

2.1 Hotspot Tracking;

2.2 Hotspot Alarm/Location;

2.3 Linkage with Fire Protection System;

2.4 Automatic Identification.

7.2 Fixed Fire Monitor

An explosion-proof electrically controlled fire water monitor system is installed inside the air-supported coal shed. Every part of the protected area is fully covered twice.

7.2 Fire Extinguishing Process

8. Monitoring System

An industrial TV monitoring system is installed in the air-supported structure to monitor the enclosed air-supported structure. It is also equipped with one system management host, which includes functions such as video signal switching and camera probe control, enabling monitoring and viewing of all surveillance footage within the system. Hardware such as photoelectric converters is configured, and it is responsible for transmitting the video signals from the enclosed industrial TV monitoring system of the air-supported structure to the plant-wide CCTV system in the main control room via single-mode fiber-optic communication.

9. Electrical System

In addition to the normal power supply system, a backup diesel generator is required as an emergency reserve to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the air-supported structure. Automatic switching between the two power sources is necessary.

When the normal power supply line fails, the backup power supply automatically starts within 30-60 seconds. The fuel storage for the backup power supply should at least support 8 hours of continuous operation. The fuel for the backup power supply can be gasoline, diesel, natural gas, etc.

Performance Display

Contact Information

Company Consultation Hotline: 400 650 2050

Business Consultation: +86 13716072806

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