The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, University of Greenwich
www.bulksolids.com
University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB UK
STOP PRESS: Please see below details of a Three Year Paid Studentship Available for Application of Industry 4.0 Control and “Digital Twinning” to Pneumatic Conveying
Independent expertise and cost-effective solutions to industrial problems.
Our Mission: To help industry to get its powders and bulk materials to behave in the way they need them to!
Our Services:
We offer consultancy, research and education in all aspects of bulk materials handling, including, but not limited to,
- Hopper and silo design; using your materials to design the right hopper for your plant.
- Material characterisation; using various techniques for different requirements.
- Pneumatic conveying; troubleshooting, testing materials.
- Product quality; environmental and transport effects; segregation, degradation and caking.
- Abrasion and wear; evaluating product abrasiveness and predicting plant life.
- Dust prevention and control; on-site dust surveys, system design or modification
- Storage and discharge; reliable discharge, storage equipment
- Expert witness; provision of reports and analyses for court.
Our Clients:
Industries involved in the processing of powders, particulates and other bulk solids materials from across the spectrum including (but not limited to) food and drink, pharmaceuticals, minerals, renewable energy, chemicals, plastics, recycling, metals, household goods, paper, cosmetics, textiles and rubber.
Ranging from small local companies to international conglomerates.
Our industrial-scale pilot plant is available to test a processing step, or mock up a whole handling process or logistics chain, at full scale or near full scale. This can be used to find and solve the problems off-line, then when you transfer the same process or material to your own or your customers' plant, you can be confident it will work!
Our Experts have over one hundred man-years of experience in solving bulk materials handling problems. Along with a team of Researchers they concentrate on nothing else but the needs of Industry – and are at your disposal.
Our location in Chatham, Kent offers excellent transport links within the UK and the rest of Europe enabling us to provide a prompt and flexible response to site visit requests and client meetings.
Contact us for advice – don't pick up a hammer – pick up the phone. +44 (0) 20 8331 8646 www.bulksolids.com [email protected]
Course Calendar
Our full range of courses cover different aspects of bulk materials handling.
Click here for details of all the courses listed below
15 - 16 December: Rotary Valves: Design, Selection and Operational Issues - an exploration of the different valves and features available
2021 Calendar
06 - 12 January: Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Materials - components of pneumatic conveying systems, system selection and design techniques
20 - 21 January: Measurement of the Properties and Bulk Behaviour of Particulate Materials - an overview of methods for determining bulk behaviour of particulate materials
27 - 28 January: Undesired Deblending and Separation in Processes and Equipment - identification of common segregation mechanisms and how to minimise the effects
17 - 18 February: Dust Control for Processes - dust prevention, capture and extraction methods
24 - 25 February: Electrostatics in Powder Handling - the cause and effect of electrostatic charging in bulk solids handling
08 - 12 March: Port and Terminal Operations for Bulk Cargoes - bulk materials handling and safety issues at ports and at sea
19 - 23 April: Storage and Discharge of Powders and Bulk Materials - a basic course covering the operation, design and specifications of hoppers and silos for reliable discharge
11 - 13 May: Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Materials, including practical session - components of pneumatic conveying systems, system selection and design techniques
29 - 30 June: Caking and Lump Formation in Powders and Bulk Solids - a guide to issues relating to keeping powders and granules in a free-flowing, lump-free condition
12 - 16 July: Powder Handling and Flow for Additive Manufacturing - a guide through the critical aspects of powder management for powder-based AM processing
21 - 22 September: Pneumatic Conveying System Design - in depth exploration of detailed calculations for design of pneumatic pipelines and specifying plant (Advanced course)
23 September: Rotary Valves; Design, Selection and Operational Issues - an exploration of the different valves and features available
18 - 22 October: Overview of Particulate Handling Technology - introduction to the storing and handling of bulk materials, equipment selection and design methodologies for safe and reliable plant.
09 - 11 November: Pneumatic Conveying of Buk Materials, including practical session - components of pneumatic conveying systems, system selection and design techniques
08 - 09 December: Commissioning and Troubleshooting 'Hands-on' Pneumatic Conveying Systems - a look at the practical challenges of starting up systems on site and making sure they work as the designer intended.
Application of Industry 4.0 Control and “Digital Twinning” to Pneumatic Conveying
Three Year Paid Studentship Available
Improving the efficiencies of manufacturing through the implementation of digital systems in pneumatic conveying pipelines
Experts at the Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology, University of Greenwich have joined forces with Industry giants Schenck Process UK Ltd to offer a fully paid three-year studentship to look at how the digitalisation of pneumatic conveying systems can help improve the manufacturing process.
“Industry 4.0” is a defined term indicating the ability of a process to be constantly pro-active or re-active in response to the process conditions or material characteristics, as opposed to the traditional approach of commissioning at a set point and left to operate with the same settings or occasionally reset by the process supervisor.
The key application here is Pneumatic Conveying, the transport of particles through a pipeline by a gas flow. This is universally applied to in-plant transport of particles between process steps in the power, cement, minerals, food, pharmaceuticals, petro-chem, fines chemicals and metals industries.
The objective of introducing Industry 4.0 control and a digital twin is to reduce power consumption and negative effects on particle quality.
The research aims to deliver a control system that continuously monitors the behaviour of the material in the pipeline, and readjusts the air flow to account for these material and process changes, giving substantial savings in power (varying up to about 50%) and much reduced particle breakage leading to lower waste and customer complaints.
Situated within an acknowledged world-leading research team, this project is sponsored by a leading global manufacturer of process engineering equipment. The focus will be on developing techniques for measurement and control of solids flow in pipelines, which has wide applications across nuclear, minerals, petro-chemical, food and pharmaceutical industries. The work will blend mechanical engineering with control technology and modelling techniques will be also combined with experimental approaches to study a pneumatic conveying system. Training will be given where necessary to take a creative approach to address problems associated with pneumatic transport and complement the broad range of expertise of the successful candidate.
To apply you need to hold a 1st Class or 2nd class, First Division (Upper Second Class) Honours Degree or a taught Master’s degree and hold a language proficiency score of at least IELTS 6.5 if English is not your first language.
Full entry level requirements and application details can be found at
https://www.gre.ac.uk/research/study/research-studentships-and-scholarships
If you require a copy of the project proposal, please contact Baldeep or Caroline at [email protected]
Closing date for application: 31 January 2021
Interview dates to hold: 10 and 12 February 2021