SILO OVERFILL PROTECTION · ATEX-READY

Silo overfill protection that never sleeps. Silo-Überfüllsicherung, die nie schläft. Zabezpieczenie silosu przed przepełnieniem, które nigdy nie śpi. Protezione antitracimazione silo che non dorme mai. Protection anti-débordement silo qui ne dort jamais. Protección contra sobrellenado de silos que nunca duerme. Proteção contra transbordo de silo que nunca dorme.

Silo overfill protection is continuous 3D-LiDAR fill-level capture with a configurable low / high / critical threshold cascade. ATEX-ready hardware, interlocked PLC stop logic via OPC UA — built for plant-safety and compliance teams. Delivered by OWL EYE®.

Silo-Überfüllsicherung ist kontinuierliche 3D-LiDAR-Füllstand-Erfassung mit konfigurierbarer Niedrig- / Hoch- / Kritisch-Kaskade. ATEX-taugliche Hardware, verriegelte SPS-Stop-Logik über OPC UA — gebaut für Anlagensicherheit und Compliance. Geliefert von OWL EYE®.

Zabezpieczenie silosu przed przepełnieniem to ciągłe rejestrowanie poziomu napełnienia 3D-LiDAR z konfigurowalną kaskadą progów niski / wysoki / krytyczny. Sprzęt zgodny z ATEX, ryglowana logika zatrzymania PLC przez OPC UA — zbudowane dla zespołów bezpieczeństwa instalacji i compliance. Dostarczone przez OWL EYE®.

La protezione antitracimazione silo è il rilevamento continuo del livello di riempimento con 3D-LiDAR e una cascata di soglie configurabili basso / alto / critico. Hardware ATEX-ready, logica di blocco PLC interbloccata via OPC UA — pensata per i team di sicurezza impianto e compliance. Realizzata da OWL EYE®.

La protection anti-débordement silo, c'est la capture continue du niveau de remplissage par 3D-LiDAR avec une cascade configurable de seuils bas / haut / critique. Matériel ATEX, logique d'arrêt PLC interverrouillée via OPC UA — conçu pour les équipes sécurité d'usine et conformité. Livré par OWL EYE®.

La protección contra sobrellenado de silos es la captura continua del nivel de llenado mediante 3D-LiDAR con una cascada de umbrales configurable de bajo / alto / crítico. Hardware preparado para ATEX, lógica de parada PLC enclavada vía OPC UA, pensada para equipos de seguridad de planta y compliance. Entregada por OWL EYE®.

Proteção contra transbordo de silo é a captura contínua do nível de enchimento por 3D-LiDAR com uma cascata configurável de limiares baixo / alto / crítico. Hardware pronto para ATEX, lógica de parada PLC intertravada via OPC UA — feito para equipes de segurança de planta e compliance. Entregue pelo OWL EYE®.

Book a consultation → How it works
3 threshold levels
ATEX ready hardware
OPC UA PLC interlock
24 / 7 continuous capture
Compliance-grade silo overfill protection

A safety case that doesn't depend on a switch. Ein Sicherheitsnachweis, der nicht an einem Schalter hängt. Argument bezpieczeństwa, który nie zależy od jednego wyłącznika. Un caso di sicurezza che non dipende da un interruttore. Une analyse de sécurité qui ne dépend pas d'un contact. Un caso de seguridad que no depende de un interruptor. Um caso de segurança que não depende de uma chave.

Silo overfill protection is a safety function, not a convenience. A blocked vent, a delayed alarm or a stuck mechanical paddle can lead to dust release, pressurised dome failure, downstream damage to filters, screws and discharge cones — and, in combustible bulk, to a deflagration scenario the operator never wanted to be in.

OWL EYE® overfill protection replaces the single-point switch with a continuous LiDAR fill-level signal. The sensor sees the entire surface from above, so threshold logic acts on real remaining volume — not on whether one paddle moved. ATEX-ready housings, hermetic optical windows and a self-test heartbeat to the PLC turn overfill prevention into a verifiable safety chain.

Built as a layered safeguard alongside the wider OWL EYE® BUNKERS & FEEDERS platform — same sensor, same dashboard, audit-ready alarm log. Which sensor principle suits your silo? See 3D LiDAR vs radar for silo level measurement.

„Compliance auditors do not accept ‘the paddle was tested last year'. A continuously verified LiDAR signal closes that gap."

Overfill-protection threshold pipelines in production at K+S receiving silos and Nordzucker beet feeders.

How it works

Three thresholds. Three responses. Drei Schwellwerte. Drei Reaktionen. Trzy progi. Trzy reakcje. Tre soglie. Tre risposte. Trois seuils. Trois réponses. Tres umbrales. Tres respuestas. Três limiares. Três respostas.

A 3D-LiDAR sensor mounted above the silo scans the surface continuously. Remaining volume is computed every second; configurable low / high / critical thresholds trigger graded responses — from operator notice to hard PLC interlock.

Safety architecture

Three properties that make the overfill chain auditable. Drei Eigenschaften, die die Überfüllkette prüfbar machen. Trzy właściwości, które czynią łańcuch zabezpieczenia weryfikowalnym. Tre proprietà che rendono la catena antitracimazione verificabile. Trois propriétés qui rendent la chaîne anti-débordement auditable. Tres propiedades que hacen auditable la cadena de sobrellenado. Três propriedades que tornam auditável a cadeia de transbordo.

ATEX-ready hardware

Hermetic optical window, intrinsically safe wiring options and enclosure variants for Zone 22 dust atmospheres — suited for grain, sugar, charcoal, wood-pellet and chemical silos.

Configurable threshold cascade

Per-silo, per-material low / high / critical limits with hysteresis and time filtering. No alarm flooding during normal fill cycles, no missed event on a slow creep into the dome.

PLC interlock via OPC UA

Hard-wired interlock contacts plus OPC UA into your DCS or SCADA. Heartbeat self-test confirms the sensor is alive — every cycle, to the PLC, into the alarm log.

Where it applies

Any vessel that must not overfill. Jedes Behältnis, das nicht überlaufen darf. Każde naczynie, które nie może się przepełnić. Ogni vaso che non deve tracimare. Tout récipient qui ne doit pas déborder. Cualquier recipiente que no deba rebosar. Qualquer recipiente que não pode transbordar.

Wherever an uncontrolled overfill threatens equipment, atmosphere or downstream process — an OWL EYE® overfill safeguard belongs.

Storage silos Receiving bunkers Crusher hoppers Process vessels Day bins Grain silos Charcoal & biomass bunkers Sugar & cement silos
Why a continuous signal beats a point switch

Paddle vs LiDAR for overfill prevention. Paddel vs. LiDAR für die Überfüllsicherung. Wiosło vs LiDAR w zapobieganiu przepełnieniu. Paletta vs LiDAR per la prevenzione tracimazione. Palette vs LiDAR pour la prévention de débordement. Paleta frente a LiDAR para la prevención de sobrellenado. Paleta vs. LiDAR na prevenção de transbordo.

Dimension Mechanical high-level switch OWL EYE® LiDAR overfill protection
Signal typesingle point, binarycontinuous fill level + remaining volume
Failure detectiononly at periodic manual testheartbeat to PLC every cycle
Threshold levelsone fixed switch heightlow / high / critical, configurable
Asymmetric build-up / bridginginvisibleflagged from surface scan
Material contactpaddle in the bulk — wears, jamsnone — sensor above the surface
ATEX dust zonesavailable, but mechanically vulnerableenclosure variants for Zone 22
Audit trailmanual test logscontinuous alarm log with timestamps
„The job of overfill protection is to be working at the one moment it is needed. Continuous self-test is the only honest answer."
FAQ

Silo overfill protection — answered. Silo-Überfüllsicherung — beantwortet. Zabezpieczenie silosu przed przepełnieniem — odpowiedzi. Protezione antitracimazione silo — le risposte. Protection anti-débordement silo — réponses. Protección contra sobrellenado de silos — respondido. Proteção contra transbordo de silo — respondida.

Compliance, ATEX and integration questions safety engineers ask before specifying LiDAR-based silo overfill protection.

Silo Overfill Protection

How does OWL EYE® prevent silo overfill — what thresholds and alerts are supported? ＋
OWL EYE® BUNKERS measures fill level and remaining volume continuously, not as a discrete switch event. That allows configurable thresholds long before a paddle switch would react:
  • Low — material running out, dispatching gets a heads-up; refill triggered or operations notified.
  • High — first warning that headroom is shrinking. Operators can throttle the feed before the dome is reached.
  • Critical — true overfill protection. Hard interlock to the PLC, stops the feed or rejects the next load.
Each threshold is configurable per silo and per material with hysteresis, so normal cycling does not produce alarm storms. Alerts route to OPC UA, REST, MQTT, e-mail or SMS — the PLC contact for interlocked stops is the most common channel. Because the LiDAR captures the entire surface, the system also detects asymmetric build-ups, sidewall caking and hopper-discharge blockages — failure modes a single-point probe cannot see. Silo overfill protection turns from a single switch into a continuous condition signal.
How does LiDAR overfill protection differ from mechanical level switches? ＋
A mechanical high-level switch — rotating paddle, vibrating fork, capacitance rod — gives one binary signal at one fixed height inside the silo. It tells you nothing before that point, nothing about asymmetric build-up on the opposite wall, and nothing about its own state until the next manual functional test. If the paddle jams, the cable corrodes or material cakes around the fork, the silo can overfill silently between two test intervals. OWL EYE® LiDAR overfill protection works the other way round. A 3D-LiDAR sensor mounted above the silo scans the entire bulk surface every second. Three configurable thresholds — low / high / critical — fire on remaining volume rather than on whether one paddle has moved. Bridging, sidewall caking and asymmetric loading are detected as part of the same signal. A heartbeat to the PLC confirms in every cycle that the sensor is alive, so the safety chain is verifiable continuously instead of once a year. For sites where overfill is a real safety case — ATEX dust zones, combustible bulk, downstream cyclone or filter damage — this is the upgrade auditors expect. See OWL EYE® Silo Overfill Protection and the wider BUNKERS & FEEDERS platform.
Is the OWL EYE® silo overfill protection ATEX-certifiable? ＋
Yes. The OWL EYE® silo overfill protection is delivered in hardware variants suitable for ATEX dust atmospheres up to Zone 22 — covering most grain, sugar, charcoal, wood-pellet, biomass and many chemical bulk applications. For sites with Zone 21 requirements or aggressive gas atmospheres we specify the sensor and enclosure per project; not every LiDAR head is certified for every zone, so the safety case is engineered explicitly rather than assumed. The hardware approach has three layers. The optical window is hermetically sealed and rated to withstand the dust loading inside a receiving silo. Wiring options include intrinsically safe loops and barrier-protected supply lines. The enclosure variants are stainless steel or coated aluminium with documented surface-temperature classification, so the assembly fits cleanly into the plant explosion-protection document. On top of the hardware sits a continuous self-test heartbeat into the PLC: every measurement cycle confirms the safety function is active, which is what an auditor actually needs to see in the SIL or proof-test record. Combined with the configurable threshold cascade described on OWL EYE® Silo Overfill Protection and the wider BUNKERS & FEEDERS platform, the result is an overfill safeguard that is both ATEX-suitable and continuously verifiable.

Overfill safety case under review?

Tell us your silos, materials and ATEX zone. We come back with a concrete overfill-protection proposal — typically within a week.

info@sachtleben-technology.com +49 7831 969 22-190
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