---
title: "Air cannon (air blaster)"
description: "An air cannon (also air blaster) is a pressure-vessel and quick-release-valve assembly that fires a brief high-pressure air pulse — typically 5–7 bar from a 30–150 litre reservoir — through a nozzle directed into a hopper, silo or duct. The pulse disrupts material bridges and dislodges build-up. Air cannons are widely deployed in cement plants, coal-fired power plants, WtE plants and bulk-handling installations."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/air-cannon-air-blaster"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:32.484Z"
---

An **air cannon** (also **air blaster**) is a pressure-vessel and quick-release-valve assembly that fires a brief high-pressure air pulse — typically 5–7 bar from a 30–150 litre reservoir — through a nozzle directed into a [hopper](/glossary/hopper), [silo](/glossary/silo) or duct. The pulse disrupts material bridges and dislodges build-up. Air cannons are widely deployed in cement plants, coal-fired power plants, [WtE](/glossary/waste-to-energy) plants and bulk-handling installations.

## Strengths and weaknesses

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Strength
    </th>
    
    <th>
      Weakness
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      Very high instantaneous energy
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Causes documented structural stress and fatigue
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Effective on consolidated bridges
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Discrete pulses leave time for bridges to re-form
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Established technology, broad supplier base
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Episodic high air consumption
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Targets specific build-up zones
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Requires array of cannons for large silos
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Tolerates high temperature
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Pulse can disturb downstream flow control
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## Air cannon vs sonic horn

[Sonic horns](/glossary/sonic-horn) compete directly with air cannons across most flow-aid duty. Sonic horns favour: continuous prevention over periodic remediation, non-contact operation, single-unit coverage of an entire vessel, and zero structural stress on the vessel itself. Air cannons favour: very hard consolidated bridges and applications where the higher impact energy is decisive.

Many real installations use both: sonic horns for continuous prevention, with a small number of strategically-placed air cannons reserved for restart after extended shutdowns or to break unusually-hard bridges.

## Related terms

- [Anti-bridging device](/glossary/anti-bridging-device)
- [Hopper](/glossary/hopper)
- [Silo](/glossary/silo)
- [Bunker / coal bunker](/glossary/bunker-coal-bunker)
- [Bin vibrator](/glossary/bin-vibrator)
- [Sonic horn](/glossary/sonic-horn)