Chemical Engineering April 2023 - 40

Feature Report
Part 1
Bulk Solids Centers Support
Research and Education
Bulk-solids handling is a critical aspect of many product manufacturing processes throughout
the CPI, but the field is often underappreciated. Research centers that specialize in bulk-solids
handling and particle technology are important resources for expanding knowledge and solving
technical challenges
Scott Jenkins
Chemical Engineering
P
rocesses involving solid
materials are very common
throughout the chemical
process industries (CPI),
with many estimates suggesting that
at least 70% of industrial processes
involve the handling, conveying or
processing of bulk solids materials.
However, despite the prevalence of
solids-handling processes and their
importance to the production of
many end products, solids-handling
science and practice often remains
underappreciated and poorly understood.
In part, the gaps in understanding
are a function of the
complexity of bulk-solids-handling
operations, and also because bulksolids
education is generally only
cursorily included in most undergraduate
mechanical and chemical
engineering degree programs.
Specialized research centers focused
on the study of bulk solids in
industrial processes bridge some of
the gaps in understanding by providing
both education on bulk-solidshandling
processes and equipment
for students and working engineers,
and conducting industry-relevant research
on the behavior of powders
and other solid materials at industrial
sites (see sidebox, p. 41).
Complex, multidisciplinary field
The lack of expertise in solids processing
results from several factors:
some having to do with the nature
of the field, and others having to do
with logistical challenges in education.
" Solids handling is a complex
and multidisciplinary area that requires
expertise from mechanics,
materials science and chemical engi40
neering, "
says Raju Dandu, director
of the Bulk Solids Innovation Center
(BSIC) at Kansas State University at
Salina (bulk-solids.k-state.edu). " Further,
there is a lack of clearly defined
common core knowledge for undergraduate
and graduate
education
between and across the complex
bulk solids discipline, " he explains.
The field of solids handling includes
a wide range of diverse substances,
complicating efforts to generate
models that work well across
multiple situations. Mike Bradley, director
of the Wolfson Centre for Bulk
Solids Handling Technology at the
University of Greenwich (U.K.; bulksolids.com),
explains: " Every powder
is different - even powders with the
same name, and made to the same
specification, will often display very
different handling and flow properties
if they are made in different plants.
So you can't just draw conclusions
from experience or available data. "
" You need to get samples of the
powder and characterize them in relevant
ways - not just the particles
sizes, densities, moisture contents
and so on, but their bulk behavioral
properties, such as flow properties
measured in a shear tester, or pneumatic
conveying properties measured
in a pipeline test rig and so on.
Without undertaking those steps...
design is no better than guesswork, "
Bradley says.
Paul Mort, director of the Center
for Particulate Products and Processes
(CP3) at Purdue University
(West Lafayette, Ind.; www.purdue.
edu), echoes the challenges of solids
flow properties. " Particle morphology
is a critical parameter, and
it affects how the substance flows in
processes. Often particle shapes are
FIGURE 1. Solids handling involves multiple disciplines,
including mechanical engineering, materials
science, chemical engineering and others
complex and varied, and information
on shape is not often included in
specifications for materials, " he says.
The field of solids handling is full of
" exceptions, " notes Todd Smith, business
and strategy manager at BSIC.
Because many solid materials defy
modeling, and often, the equations
used to determine design parameters
don't predict real-world behavior, it's
very difficult to write educational textbooks
and resources for those who
are studying this area, Smith says.
But even if such resources were
available, institutions of higher learning
face challenges in offering additional
courses in bulk-solids handling.
The existing chemical and
mechanical engineering undergraduate
program curricula
in the U.S.
are already full at 120-128 credit
hours, leaving little time for specialized
solids courses. BSIC's Dandu
says incorporating a wide range of
multidisciplinary knowledge, as well
as information on evolving technologies,
into the curriculum can be difficult,
because doing so requires close
coordination among several different
university departments and faculty.
Additional hurdles include establishing
access to experienced faculty
and to a range of teaching resources,
software and equipment.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
APRIL 2023
Wolfson

http://bulk-solids.k-state.edu https://www.mhea.co.uk/the-wolfson-centre/ https://www.mhea.co.uk/the-wolfson-centre/ http://www.purdue.edu http://www.purdue.edu http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering April 2023