Secretary to The British Materials Handling Board (BMHB)
Materials have been handling in bulk form, but as civilisation has developed and become more industrialised, the quantities stored and handled and the processed to which they have been subjected has increased to prodigious values. Problems that could be dealt with at a manual scale assume far greater difficulty when the proportions involved are outside the effects of physical intervention. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for projects involving the handling of loose solids to incur unexpected difficulties. The industry is all too familiar with delays and shortfalls of performance of newly install plant, even with common forms of bulk material. Corrective action is inevitably more expensive than would have been experienced with a satisfactory design, apart from other costs that accrue from delays, wastage of material and associated damages; plus setbacks to businesses and relationships.
Such situations do not generally arise because of poor engineering design or fabrication, or by some lack of chemical understanding relating to the process technology but are a direct consequence of a failure to recognise at an early stage in the project the relevant nature of the bulk material with respect to the application, the environment, the process sequence and the scale of the equipment. It is considered that this lack of appreciation may be traced to two main factors.
1. Fundamentally, the scale of education in the more complex subject of bulk technology seriously lags behind that awarded to the more precise formal cover included in University chemical and mechanical engineering degree courses syllabus relating to the behaviour of liquids and gases.
2. There is a general reluctance to face up-front costs on powder testing at an early stage of a solids handling project.
This may partially arises from the first reason; that it may not be clear precisely what information s required and partially because it is considered the task of the equipment designer to identify, quantify and accommodate the relevant parameters. Contrary to the position with liquids and gasses, reliable design information on bulk material properties cannot be obtained from data banks or published literature, but must be secured by tests conducted in a manner relevant to the application on samples that are representative of the ‘worst’ condition that may be found in production.
Some experience is essential in securing, preparing and conduction appropriate tests.
To address this issue, The Institution of Mechanical Engineering is arranging a Seminar on Characterising Bulk Materials for Solids Handling Projects. This important topic of evaluating bulk material behaviour embraces the most important tool for and engineer or manager concerned with a new installation involving the storage or handling of bulk materials. Apart from advice on sample selection, assessment, testing procedure and differing operational hazards, the program includes details of good design practice and developments in the technology. This Seminar is highly commended as providing essential guidance for anyone seeking to secure solids handling plants that work well.
The title of the Seminar has been well chosen to draw attention to the fact that any engineer commencing a solids handling project of any size should know what he is facing. If you do not know the character of a material, you cannot trust it.
Know your enemy: Avoiding project failure and cost increases through bulk material characterisation
Wednesday 25 September 2013, London
Book now or view full details: www.imeche.org/events/S1765S1765
Why Solids Handling Projects go wrong?
Why Solids Handling Projects go wrong?
Press release by Lyn Bates,
Secretary to The British Materials Handling Board (BMHB)
Materials have been handling in bulk form, but as civilisation has developed and become more industrialised, the quantities stored and handled and the processed to which they have been subjected has increased to prodigious values. Problems that could be dealt with at a manual scale assume far greater difficulty when the proportions involved are outside the effects of physical intervention. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for projects involving the handling of loose solids to incur unexpected difficulties. The industry is all too familiar with delays and shortfalls of performance of newly install plant, even with common forms of bulk material. Corrective action is inevitably more expensive than would have been experienced with a satisfactory design, apart from other costs that accrue from delays, wastage of material and associated damages; plus setbacks to businesses and relationships.
Such situations do not generally arise because of poor engineering design or fabrication, or by some lack of chemical understanding relating to the process technology but are a direct consequence of a failure to recognise at an early stage in the project the relevant nature of the bulk material with respect to the application, the environment, the process sequence and the scale of the equipment. It is considered that this lack of appreciation may be traced to two main factors.
1. Fundamentally, the scale of education in the more complex subject of bulk technology seriously lags behind that awarded to the more precise formal cover included in University chemical and mechanical engineering degree courses syllabus relating to the behaviour of liquids and gases.
2. There is a general reluctance to face up-front costs on powder testing at an early stage of a solids handling project.
This may partially arises from the first reason; that it may not be clear precisely what information s required and partially because it is considered the task of the equipment designer to identify, quantify and accommodate the relevant parameters. Contrary to the position with liquids and gasses, reliable design information on bulk material properties cannot be obtained from data banks or published literature, but must be secured by tests conducted in a manner relevant to the application on samples that are representative of the ‘worst’ condition that may be found in production.
Some experience is essential in securing, preparing and conduction appropriate tests.
To address this issue, The Institution of Mechanical Engineering is arranging a Seminar on Characterising Bulk Materials for Solids Handling Projects. This important topic of evaluating bulk material behaviour embraces the most important tool for and engineer or manager concerned with a new installation involving the storage or handling of bulk materials. Apart from advice on sample selection, assessment, testing procedure and differing operational hazards, the program includes details of good design practice and developments in the technology. This Seminar is highly commended as providing essential guidance for anyone seeking to secure solids handling plants that work well.
The title of the Seminar has been well chosen to draw attention to the fact that any engineer commencing a solids handling project of any size should know what he is facing. If you do not know the character of a material, you cannot trust it.
Know your enemy: Avoiding project failure and cost increases through bulk material characterisation
Wednesday 25 September 2013, London
Book now or view full details: www.imeche.org/events/S1765S1765
Additional information:
https://forum.bulk-online.com/forumd...e-by-Lyn-Batesforumdisplay.php?657 Solid Sense by Lyn Bates ■