AT525868A4 - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for long-distance transport of hygroscopic or reactive bulk materials, in particular of DRI (B) - DRI in pellet or piece form, possibly with a fine fraction, - or of DRI (C) - DRI as fine material, with the following steps: ○Filling a truncated pyramid designed or having an upper part or top part (3) designed as a truncated pyramid (1) made of sheet steel parts welded together via an upper opening (10), which is the only opening of the container (1), the container (1) being completely filled , so that there is no or only a very small dead volume, ○Closing the opening (10) with a lid (4), which can be operated from the outside and in particular mechanically to open and close the opening (10) (page 11, lines 9 and 10), protects the inside of the container from water ingress, only allows air to flow in and out of the inside of the container and allows gas to escape from the inside of the container in the event of excess pressure inside the container, ○Unloading the filled container (1) by turning the container (1) using a device in an overhead position so that the opening (10) closed by the lid (4) is at the bottom, and ○opening the lid (4).

Description

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peRAIL GmbH PA 9016 AT

Description

Container

The invention relates to a container made of sheet steel parts for the long-distance transport of hygroscopic or reactive bulk materials, in particular DRI (B) - DRI in pellet or piece form, possibly with a

Fine fraction, - or of DRI (C) - DRI as fine material.

A common container for transporting free-flowing or dusty goods and for transporting palletized general cargo in combined transport on rails, ships and roads is known from EP 2311 757 A1. This container has a cuboid steel frame construction and additional components made of sheet steel, namely a container floor, a container roof, two side walls and two end walls, one of which is provided with a bulk flap. One side wall is closed and fixed, the second side wall is formed by revolving doors. There is at least one on the container roof using a dome cover

Lockable opening for loading the container.

Another container, which is intended for the transport of bulk goods, in particular on container wagons in rail freight transport, is from the

EP 2871 141 A2 known. This container also has a substantially cuboid steel frame construction, as well as floor elements and side walls made of sheet steel. The floor elements of the container are extended as sliding plates so that the bulk goods can be transported into a conventional deep bunker without leaving any residue and without significantly contaminating the container wagon

can be emptied.

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The containers known from the prior art are therefore suitable for transporting common bulk goods, such as iron ores or gravel, i.e. materials that do not suffer any loss of quality under different weather conditions and do not react chemically with atmospheric oxygen or moisture. A material that is problematic in this regard is, for example, DRI (B) or

DRI (C), i.e. pellets, pieces or fine material made from directly reduced iron.

DRI (B) pellets have an average particle size of 6.00 mm to 40.00 mm, DRI (B) in piece form usually has a diameter of 10.00 mm to 40.00 mm. DRI (C) is fine material with an average particle size smaller than 4.00 mm. DRI (B) should contain a maximum of 5% by weight of particles (fines) with an average particle size of less than 4.00 mm. DRI is sponge iron with a high degree of metallization, in which air or gases from the reduction process are enclosed, is highly hygroscopic and reactive and can therefore interact with water, air and moist air and form hydrogen and

react to heat.

To date, regulations and recommendations for sea transport from DRI (B) are known, according to which certain measures must be adhered to before and during transport. For example, DRI (B) should be stored for at least 72 hours before transport; storage and loading spaces as well as transport facilities, such as conveyor belts, must be free of residues and absolutely dry before use. Furthermore, the temperature, oxygen content and hydrogen content of the air in the hold must be monitored using appropriate detectors and an inert gas blanket, such as nitrogen, must be blown in. The cargo holds must remain tightly closed and in an inert state during transport

be maintained. There are several direct reduction processes in use to produce DRI,

The Midrex process is currently the most economically important process.

The end product obtained with this process, sponge iron -— pellets or

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- pieces, is very pure and can be used directly instead of pig iron to produce high-quality steel goods. Of particular and increasing importance is directly reduced iron, which is produced using 100% “green” hydrogen as a reducing agent. The energy for hydrogen production can come from wind farms, for example on coasts. In order to make DRI available to steelworks that do not have such a reduction plant, it is necessary to be able to transport the DRI produced in an existing reduction plant over longer distances, especially by rail. Despite increasing demand, there are currently no known containers or rail vehicles that can transport DRI in compliance with long transport times and delays

Enable safety and quality as well as storage.

The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a container suitable for the safe and gentle transport of hygroscopic and/or reactive bulk materials, in particular DRI (B) or DRI (C), possibly with fine particles, in rail freight transport, sea transport or truck transport to provide a long-term transport, for example two to three weeks, while maintaining or largely maintaining the quality of the bulk goods and taking into account the relevant

safety-related aspects.

The object is achieved according to the invention with a container which is designed as a truncated pyramid or has an upper part or an upper part designed as a truncated pyramid, consists of container walls and a base made of sheet steel, all of which are welded together, and has an upper opening as the only opening , which can be closed in a moisture-tight manner with a lid that can be opened for loading and unloading, whereby only air can flow into or in from the inside of the container and in the event of excess pressure

Allows gas to escape from the inside of the container.

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Due to the truncated pyramid shape, the container can be largely adapted to a natural bulk cone shape; in particular, its loading volume can be adapted to the bulk density of the material to be transported during construction, so that when the container is completely filled, material movements are avoided or at least largely avoided during transport. The truncated pyramid shape ensures that the free dump surface of the load is encompassed and that the surface area is advantageously reduced to air and helps to avoid a chimney effect. In addition, the truncated pyramid shape ensures a reduction in material movement while driving, allows metered emptying during overhead unloading, as the truncated pyramid shape acts as a discharge funnel and ensures perfect unloading of the transported goods, and also ensures that there is only a small dead volume and therefore There is a low air content in the filled container and therefore the air and oxygen content as well as moist air are also kept low. The container, which is completely sealed and closed except for the only opening, prevents vertical drafts during transport. For unloading, the container is rotated 180° so that the opening closed with the lid is at the bottom. During rotation, the center of gravity hardly changes, the pivot point can be at the center of gravity and the drive torque can be kept low. In addition, dust formation during loading and unloading is at least largely avoided. The lid protects against water entering the cargo space, is draft-proof but not gas-tight. If negative pressure develops in the container compared to the external surrounding air pressure, for example through a chemical reaction, air can flow in and light gases, such as Hz, can escape. For bulk materials that react with air components, such as DRI, the air supply via the lid ensures that negative pressure inside the container is avoided or largely avoided and for self-inerting inside the container. The container keeps the load away from influences such as wind, rain, snow and drifting snow and prevents contamination caused by fine particles being blown away. The container is primarily intended for transport by train, truck and ship

but can also be used for storage.

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A design of the truncated pyramid as a straight truncated pyramid is particularly preferred, since such a structure fits particularly well to the respective one

Load can be adjusted.

A design in which the upper opening is the upper opening on the truncated pyramid or in which the upper opening largely coincides with the upper opening on the truncated pyramid is particularly advantageous for perfect overhead unloading. It is also possible in principle to provide the truncated pyramid with a welded sheet steel plate

which the upper opening is formed.

In a preferred embodiment, the truncated pyramid has a base designed as an n-gon with n > 4, in particular the base is a rectangle. The more side surfaces the truncated pyramid has, the greater its resemblance to a naturally occurring cone. A straight, especially a regular, truncated pyramid ensures that

There is little or no dead volume when filling the container.

In the case of a truncated pyramid, it is preferably welded to a lower part adapted to the pyramid shape, which has a bottom that forms the bottom of the container. In an embodiment of the container with an upper part designed as a straight and in particular regular truncated pyramid, this is preferably welded to a correspondingly prismatically designed lower part adapted to the pyramid shape. In a preferred embodiment, the lower part is cuboid and the upper part is designed as a straight and four-sided truncated pyramid adapted to the lower part. Such a lower part therefore increases the loading volume compared to a container designed as a truncated pyramid. The lower part preferably has a loading volume which is 10% to 50% of the total loading volume of the

container is.

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For the already mentioned similarity of the truncated pyramid to a bulk material cone, it is also advantageous if the truncated pyramid or the truncated pyramid-shaped upper part has walls that run at angles of 20 ° to 50 ° to the vertical. The larger the angle, the better it is

Adaptation to a natural bulk material cone.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the container for the transport of DRI (B) or DRI (C), the lid is designed in such a way that, when closed, it allows air to flow into the interior of the container in such a way that when it is completely loaded with DRI, the interior of the container according to Re -Oxidation processes ultimately cause self-inertization due to the nitrogen contained in the inflowing air. Through oxidation processes, oxygen in the air is depleted, air flows in and the oxygen contained in this air is also depleted again. The only small re-oxidation processes ensure

maintaining a high degree of metallization of the DRI.

In an effective and simple design in this regard, the lid closes the opening airtight on only one or only some of the opening sides provided. Other measures can also be taken to allow air to flow in and out in a targeted manner. Separate devices can be attached to the lid, for example with at least one valve, which opens automatically when the pressure inside the container is negative, or sensors can also be provided inside the container, which open a correspondingly controlled device that doses

Allows air to flow in.

In a further preferred embodiment of the container, steel sheet profiles designed as forked tunnels are welded to the inside of the floor, which have end sections that project outwards on container walls. This measure makes it possible to lift the empty or filled container with a forklift vehicle that has appropriate fork arms and a

Lifting device has to be picked up and used for loading and unloading

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transport. In addition, the forklift vehicle can have a rotating device that allows the container to be placed in an overhead position

to be brought and emptied after opening the lid.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the container, the container has steel sheet elements welded to the outside of two opposite side walls, which form the outer end sections of the

Pick up and support the fork tunnel.

The necessary ventilation of the interior of the container during unloading is particularly reliably ensured if at least one hollow profile, open at both ends, is welded to the inside of the container, which extends from just above the floor to the opening and each has an air discharge duct when used overhead. emptying the container. The measure that the hollow profile(s) each have a large number of holes near the ground ensures particularly effective ventilation

End section(s) to be provided.

For transporting the container in rail freight transport, it is particularly advantageous if it has a length of 10 feet to 20 feet and in particular has one of the lengths usual in rail freight transport.

Further features, advantages and details of the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the partly schematic drawing, which represents an exemplary embodiment of a container designed according to the invention. 1 shows an oblique view of the container,

Fig. 2 is a top view of the container,

3 is a view according to arrow F3 of FIG. 2,

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4 is a sectional view along line IV-IV of FIG. 3,

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the container and

Fig. 6 is an oblique view of an embodiment variant of the container

closing lid.

Containers according to the invention are intended for the transport of bulk materials, in particular hygroscopic and/or reactive bulk materials, such as quicklime or cold DRI, DRI (B) in pellet or piece form or DRI (C), hence Fines. As is well known, DRI stands for Direct Reduced Iron - "sponge iron" - and is a metallic material that is produced using known processes by reducing iron oxide at temperatures below

Melting point of iron is produced.

The container 1 shown as an example in Figures 1 to 5 is specifically designed for the long-distance transport of DRI in rail freight transport, on ships or trucks, even for longer transport times with appropriate security in the event of disruptions in the transport chain or the storage of the material in the container. In the following detailed description of the figures, some relevant aspects will therefore be discussed in preference. It should also be noted that terms used such as “top”, “bottom” and “vertical” refer to a position of the container in a loadable and transportable state

relate.

The container 1 is composed of a lower part 2 and an upper part 3 and has a lid 4 which is opened for loading and unloading. The container 1 has a greatest length L (FIG. 2) when transported on a wagon in its longitudinal extent and its greatest width B (FIG. 2) transversely to the longitudinal extent of the wagon. Depending on the version, the length L and the width B can also match. In the

Example according to FIGS. 1 to 5, a 13-foot container 1 is shown, the length L of which is approx.

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3962 mm and whose width B is from 2438 mm to approx. 2900 mm. The greatest height H (Fig. 4) of the container 1 is on the order of up to 2900

MM.

The lower part 2 is designed largely cuboid or cuboid-like and has a base 5 (Fig. 4, Fig. 5), two side walls 6a that run parallel to one another and are longer in length L and two side walls 6b that run parallel to one another and are shorter in width B The constant height h (Fig. 3) of the lower part 2, which is determined vertically from the underside of the floor, is in particular 500.00 mm to 1,200.00 mm. The longer side walls 6a are composed of two sections 6aı and 6az, with section 6aı directly adjoining the base 5 and being inclined outwards from the vertical at an angle a (FIG. 3) of in particular 45° to 70° and the runs vertically following the cuboid shape of the lower part 2 on this final section 6az. A vertically extending plate-shaped element 7 is connected to the elongated sections 6aı, offset inwards relative to the sections 6az, which receives and fixes the outer end sections 8a of two fork tunnels 8, which are welded to the inside of the base 5 and run parallel to the side walls 6b are U-shaped steel sheet profiles with an inverted cross section. The fork tunnels 8 allow the fork arms of a forklift truck to be used in order to position the container 1 at the loading location, for example on a wagon, and to lift it off the wagon at the unloading location and transport it accordingly. If the forklift truck has a device for rotating the container 1, this can

Turn container 1 and empty container 1 in the overhead position.

Due to the sections 6a1 of the side walls 6a, the floor 5 on the side walls 6b is slightly shorter than the width B. Steel sheet profiles 5a run along the underside of the side edge regions of the floor 5, at the ends of which there are corner fittings 5b, which allow positioning of the in a known manner Allow container 1 on the container pin of a wagon. How

5 and the sectional view in FIG. 4 show, the bottom is 5

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10

ribbed outside the fork tunnels 8, partly parallel to the fork tunnels 8, for

Part at right angles to the forked tunnels 8.

The upper part 3 has the shape of a straight truncated pyramid with four side walls 9a, 9b, two side walls 9a adjoining the side walls 6a of the lower part 2 and of the same design and two side walls 9b adjoining the side walls 6b of the lower part 2 and also of the same design. The side walls 9a, 9b have upper edge regions which surround an opening 10 which is aligned parallel to the floor 5 and is rectangular, for example square. In alternative embodiments, a round, in particular circular opening is provided. The edge areas are surrounded by a narrow, vertically oriented flange 10a, for example 30.00 mm to 70.00 mm constantly wide. The opening 10 has opening sides whose side lengths | (Fig. 4) in the range from 400.00 mm to 1,300.00 mm, which can be a rectangular opening 10 with longer and shorter sides or a square opening 10. The

Dimensions of a round opening are also in the mentioned range.

The inclination of the side walls 9a, 9b relative to the vertical depends on the height H, the length L, the width B and the size of the opening 10. In particular, the container 1 is designed in such a way that the side walls 9a, 9b run at angles β, v of 20° to 50° to the vertical. In the container 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the side walls 9a each run at an angle ß (FIG. 3) of the same size for both side walls 9a to the vertical, which is approximately 26 °, the two side walls 9b run at an angle y (Fig. 4)

of approximately 37° to the vertical.

As shown in particular in FIG. 4, a hollow profile 11, which is open at both ends, is attached in the middle of the inside of the side walls 6a, 6b, 9a, 9b as an air discharge channel. The hollow profiles 11 extend from just above the base 5 to the outer, upper edges of the flange 10a. A variety of holes

11a in the lower, ground-level end sections of the profiles 11 allow one

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11

Ventilation of container 1 during its unloading. The hollow profiles can

can also be found in the side walls or corner areas.

All components of the lower part 2 and the upper part 3 - side walls 6a, 6b, 9a, 9b, floor 5, fork tunnel 8, profiles 5a and 11, elements 7 - are sheet steel parts that are tightly welded together, and the upper part 2 is also sealed with the lower part 3

welded.

The lid 4 (Fig. 6) can be operated from the outside and in particular mechanically to open and close the opening 10. The lid 4 does not completely seal the opening 10 in an airtight manner, but rather allows a certain amount of air to penetrate, for example, in that the lid 4 only seals the opening 10 in an airtight manner on three of the opening sides. Suitable for closing, for example, is the lid available under the protected name Autolock II from Miner Enterprises Inc., which has a lid base 4a that sits on the flange 10a of the opening 11 via a circumferential seal, and a pouring edge 4b that runs around the lid base 4a and is inclined obliquely outwards and a mechanism 4c with controls 4d on both sides. Of course

Other lid variants are also suitable for closing the opening 11.

As already mentioned, containers 1 designed according to the invention are transported on wagons or container wagons via conventional container interfaces. The container length in the longitudinal direction of the wagon is in particular 10 feet to 20 feet.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the entire container is designed as a truncated pyramid; a lower part is omitted. In every possible embodiment, the truncated pyramid can have a different polygon as a base than a square, such as a hexagon or an octagon. If a lower part is provided, its shape is adapted to the shape of the truncated pyramid. The lower part should in particular contain 10% to 50% of the total loading volume of the

Container 1 can accommodate.

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12

To transport DRI, for example, the container 1 is completely filled with the material via the opening 10, so that if possible no or only a very small dead volume is created. Due to the truncated pyramid shape, no cone of bulk material is formed in the container 1, which could move during travel or transport and possibly damage the material. The emptying takes place via the opening 10 by turning the container 1 using a suitable device, for example a rotating device of the forklift vehicle that has picked up the container 1, and opening the lid 10, with the material being unloaded, for example, directly onto a conveyor device becomes. The truncated pyramid shape ensures that the rotation of the filled container 1 is extremely gentle on the material, since there is hardly any material movement during the rotation. The center of gravity of the filled container 1 hardly changes at all when rotating and it is

a dosed, material-friendly discharge is guaranteed.

Using a container 1 with a loading volume of 16 m* in the example, the self-effect that occurs when fully loaded is shown below.

Inerting of DRI described.

Approximately 23 t of DRI (B) can be filled into a container 1 with such a loading volume. Due to its density, the material takes up a volume of approx. 13 m* and there is therefore approx. 3 m* dead volume of existing air or dry air that is blown in in container 1. The material has a fines content of a maximum of 5 %, the fines content is therefore approx. 1,150 t. The DRI (B) contains a packing volume of approximately 25% or 3.25 m® of air. The volume of the DRI (B) itself is approximately 10 m®. Iron has a density of 7.85 t/m* and with a gangue (geological) of around 6 t/m*, this results in around 4 m*® iron volume. There is therefore approx. 6 m®* of air in the sponge volume. In total there are 4 m* of iron (metallized / non-metallized) and 12 m in the container

m® air.

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13

In the 12 m® air just mentioned there is 21% oxygen, therefore approx. 2.5 m® oxygen. When DRI (B) re-oxidizes with this oxygen, 2.5 m* of air must flow in, so the lid 4 is not airtight to avoid negative pressure and collapse of the container1. The incoming air volume of 2.5 m*® contains 21% or 0.5 m* oxygen. Through re-oxidation, air flows in again; these processes are repeated and take place according to a geometric series that quickly converges to zero. The amount of oxygen flowing in becomes smaller and smaller. In total, around 25% of the original amount of oxygen flows in. Any H2 created during reoxidation processes flows through the not completely airtight

Lid 4 off, which avoids critical concentrations...

Within the container 1, self-inerting takes place due to the nitrogen contained in the air. If, as mentioned, air flows in and the atmospheric oxygen is oxidized away - see above - only or largely nitrogen remains in the container and the gas in container 1 evaporates itself

inerted.

In a further embodiment of the container, not shown, the container floor has the shape of a rectangle with two longer and two shorter sides. The upper part is designed as a truncated pyramid, with those side surfaces of the truncated pyramid that are assigned to the shorter sides continuing towards the container floor, extending either to the container floor or to a low, rectangular base surface that runs perpendicular to the floor. From the longer sides of the container floor extend appropriately adapted side wall surfaces that run perpendicular to the floor, to which the two other truncated pyramid surfaces are connected. Geometrically speaking, these side wall surfaces are composed of rectangular base surfaces, corresponding to the base surfaces on the shorter sides, and trapezoidal (equilateral trapezoids) wall surfaces. This means that the upper part of the container, designed as a truncated pyramid, can have four

Truncated pyramid surfaces can be formed at angles of almost the same size

a vertical line on the container floor, with two of these surfaces,

as mentioned, continue towards the container floor.

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Reference symbol list ereereeeeeeee een container VA lower part Be upper part Qrrreerereeee ee lid N lid base YDasssssseee pouring rim YCrrsereeeeee mechanism to control element erereeee base are profile

DD That corner fitting 6a, 6b............. Side wall 6a, 6a2.......... Section VA plate-shaped element bar fork tunnel N End section 9a, 9b...... ....... Side wall

1 Oeeeeeeee opening

10@ flange eat hollow profile

Hy As Height Eeseeeeeeeee Length Boat Width DE Side Length A, By Yozsasssnnn Angle

Claims (15)

15 20 25 30 16 patent claims 1. Container (1) made of sheet steel parts for long-distance transport of hygroscopic or reactive bulk materials, in particular of DRI (B) - DRI in pellet or piece form, possibly with a fine fraction, - or of DRI (C) - DRI as fine material, characterized, it is designed as a truncated pyramid or has an upper part or upper part (3) designed as a truncated pyramid, consists of container walls (6a, 6b, 9a, 9b) and a base (5) made of sheet steel, all of which are welded together, and as the only opening has an upper opening (10) which can be closed in a moisture-tight manner with a lid that can be opened for loading and unloading, with the lid (4) allowing only air to flow into or into the interior of the container and gas escaping from the interior of the container in the event of excess pressure in the interior of the container leaves. 2. Container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the Truncated pyramid is a straight truncated pyramid. 3. Container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper opening is the upper opening on the truncated pyramid or largely with the top opening on the truncated pyramid. 4. Container (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the truncated pyramid has a base area designed as an n-corner with n > 4, in particular a base designed as a rectangle. 5. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized characterized in that the upper part or upper part designed as a truncated pyramid 15 20 25 30 17 (3) is welded to a lower part (2) adapted to the pyramid shape has a floor, which is the floor (5) of the container (1). 6. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the lower part (2) is cuboid and the upper part (3) is a straight and four-sided truncated pyramid adapted to the lower part (2). is designed. 7. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the lower part (2) has a loading volume which is 10% to 50% of the total loading volume of the container (1). 8. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the truncated pyramid has walls (6a, 6b, 9a, 9b) which run at angles (ß, v) of 20° to 50° to the vertical. 9. Container (1) for transporting DRI (B) or DRI (C) according to one or more of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the lid (4) which can be closed on the opening (10) in the truncated pyramid allows air to flow into the interior of the container means that when the container is completely loaded with DRI, after re-oxidation processes, a self - Inerting occurs due to the nitrogen contained in the inflowing air. 10. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the lid (4) has the opening (10) on only a single or only sealed airtight on some opening side(s). 11. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that steel sheet profiles designed as fork tunnels (8) are welded to the inside of the base (5), which are attached to container walls (6a) have outwardly projecting end sections (8a). 15 18 12. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that two opposing walls of the pyramid stub or the lower part (2) have welded steel sheet elements (7) which form the outer end sections (8a) of the fork tunnels ( 8) record and fix. 13. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that at least one hollow profile (11) open at both ends is welded to its inside, each hollow profile (11) extending from just above the floor (5 ) extends to the opening (10) and an air discharge duct when emptying the container (1) overhead. 14. Container (1) according to claim 13, characterized in that the hollow profile (s) (11) with a plurality of holes (11a) near the ground End section is or are provided. 15. Container (1) according to one or more of claims 1 to 14, characterized characterized as having a length (L) of 10 feet to 20 feet.